


Blinding

by MissRaichyl



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Cohabitation, Domestic Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, F/M, High School, Mild Smut, Non-Graphic Violence, POV First Person, Slow Burn, Student!Caroline, Teacher!Klaus, Training, Vampire!Caroline, danger rating power, only for a little while before Klaus quits though, only mikaelson siblings are vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-27 10:10:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 63,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13246011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissRaichyl/pseuds/MissRaichyl
Summary: Caroline can see how dangerous someone is just by looking at them, by the glow they send out. Mostly, it's pretty stupid in this lazy town but the temporary art teacher lights up like the sun and Caroline doesn't know why but as much as he hurts her head, she doesn't want to stay away.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> found a prompt on pinterest and suddenly wanted to write a Klaroline fanfic. This is completely AU and Klaus is the only Vampire in the story. Stefan is just a teenage boy and Bonnie is a witch, but doesn't know it.
> 
> I rewrote the story a bit because though I started out with a clear idea, I didn't really pay attention to how I was writing it, so I've been working on redoing it, so I posted what I've rewritten and hopefully the story will go better from now on!
> 
> I love adding actual dialogue form the show, so be prepared to see things that look familiar, because they are

It’s hard living as a supernatural freak among normals. The light of a person, letting me know if they are dangerous or not, assaulting my eyes, giving me migraines. No one around me was dangerous. Everyone was a 1 at most, unless they held a could-be weapon, then maybe a four. Who cares if the nerd who spends all his time in the lab is a solid 2? Or Elena, my best friend and co-cheer-captain, sometimes makes it past a 1? This useless ability I’ve had as long as I can remember is infuriating. 

When I look at someone, there’s this glow, this color that outlines them, and the stronger it is, the more dangerous they are. It doesn’t do anything, just revels that they are or aren’t dangerous. It’s white in color usually, but if it’s super strong, like with Bonnie’s grandma, it takes on a yellowish hue. And because of it, I live with a constant headache. A one, which is most people, barely jumps away from their skin, like its hugging them. It’s not enough to kill me or inflict true pain, but it was annoying and always caused a headache to rest in my temples, especially when I spend my weeks in classes and the halls with my peers roaming around, constant pings of light bouncing off people, something only I can see.

I close my eyes and lean my head against the locker next to Elena’s. Elena and Bonnie both know about the glow, as does my mom. To me, Elena was a special friend because her danger level was a zero. She had no light, except when she was cheerleading, then maybe she would hit a one. She was as peaceful as they come, brought up with loving parents and a care-free brother who flocked to the emo crowd. “Here comes Bonnie,” Elena says, closing her locker softly and a smile plays on my lips as I think of Bonnie. Our cute friend, who reminds me of a puppy, always running back to us with news, like a dog with a bone. I hear her feet before her voice.

“Guys!!” Bonnie comes running up to us, heading out from the office of the school where she works as an office aid for one period instead taking a math-based class. Bonnie’s glow is not like everyone else’s, as she is from a witch family, so she is a strong three. Her glows is also different. It stands out a bit more and it’s like a small back light is behind her. 

“What’s up?” Bonnie's excitement returns as Elena pushes her for answers on the latest gossip that has her smiling. I push myself of the locker wall and stand straight, joining in the conversation.

“They hired a new art teacher,” she says, excitement all over her face. “He’s British and completely hot.” Elena laughs, the future nurse doesn’t do art. She’s more likely to dabble in writing and plus, she has a boyfriend: quarterback and future president material, Stefan Salvatore. She doesn’t care about any eye candy wandering through these halls. But Bonnie’s single status since Jeremy broke up with her last year and the travesty the happened with Tyler a few months ago…

“Some eye candy could be nice,” I laugh, meeting Bonnie’s eyes, forcing myself to look past the glow. It wasn’t that it was super strong, it was just annoying because it always go in my vision, always trying to distract with every movement she made, because it was all over people, not just the outline, but like, if Bonnie moved, the glow followed her, like itty-bitty glitter pieces embedded in the skin that only my eyes could pick up—like Edward from Twilight, though not as cringey. 

“Isn’t there some way to dim it?” She asks me, her voice concerned and her eyes worried, noticing the crinkle in my brow. Maybe all the glows in the hallways were starting to wear me down for the day. I was tired, more so than usual after yesterday’s practice and honestly, I hadn’t slept very well, so my defense was down. 

I shake my head and massage my temples, looking away from my best friend. “So where is Mr. Eye-candy?” I ask Bonnie, looking up and down the hallway, letting my hands fall to my side, changing the subject. There was no point in dwelling on something I can't fix.

Bonnie latches onto my arm as Elena just watches us in amusement, “He should be headed this way! He was finishing up his paperwork when I left the office.” We lean against the lockers while people mill around us. Elena and I will be late to practice at this point but still we wait, hoping to get a peek at who this new teacher that has Bonnie on the edge of her seat could be.

I feel like a stalker almost and it reminds me of our freshman year when Stefan came to town and we all lined up to try to get a peek at him. I laugh at the memory as it was Elena who succeeded in winning his heart and not me, but I got over it with the help of Matt and then when that fizzled out because he had to focus on his family, aka: his addict sister who almost got Jeremy into a lot of trouble, my eyes found Tyler and then Hayley happened… but the memory of that moment in freshman year, and now here we are senior year, it the same spots almost. 

The door to the office was glass and I kept having to blink because of the light in there. It wasn’t even close to sun set, but maybe the sun was just shining in a weird way. My eyes kept adjusting over and over, the brightness not fading. Why was the sun that bright? Was it bouncing off all the glass surfaces? And the color was off- it was too light a shade of yellow, but there was no other explanation.  _ Ow…  _ The light kept moving and I shielded my eyes, blocking out everything as I pressed my fingers against closed lids. “Caroline?” Elena’s voice drifted to me.

“The sun’s too bright, I can’t see anything.” I say, my head feeling like a drum solo was going on inside.

I feel Elena’s hand on my back, “Caroline, the sun isn’t shining in the office.” I open my eyes and peak out of the gap in my fingers, where the office was engulfed in light. 

“Elena, I can’t even see inside of it, it’s so bright.” I close my eyes again knowing Elena was looking at me with her worried mother look. 

“He coming this way!” Bonnie whispers excitedly and against the will of my body and mind, I drop my hands a bit and open my eyes. I first see him—chiseled jawline with a bit of scruff, white t-shirt, loosely hanging, and jeans with a simple belt but that’s it before my head assaults me, blaring like sirens of a ship. I grasp the sides of my head as pinpricks show in my vision, tiny black dots everywhere, until I’m positive I’ve gone blind but my head keeps banging, like 80 children are screaming for their mom. My legs buckle as I fall, my right hand catching me from face planting. I hear a ringing in my ears, sharp and shrill. My throat feels like someone rubbed it with sandpaper and I feel the stickiness of tear down my cheeks, my eyes burning as they sit in my lashes, waiting to fall.  My head feels like it is being ripped apart.

I try to open my eyes again, to see what going on but I can’t do it, they won’t open—it’s like my body knows better than I do. I can’t handle this banging, the shrill noise. My arm buckles below me and I expect to crash on the tiles, hoping that my head breaks like an egg and all the pain goes away, but I feel hands catch my shoulders as my body slumps into them. _Elena…_ _must be_. I think to myself as I drift out of consciousness. 


	2. Chapter 2

_ Ugh, _  I drape my arm over my head, trying to darken everything once more. My senses come back to me slowly, and I feel everything first. I feel the after effects of head-ache explosion, even my eyes felt sore, I feel my pillow beneath my head, my position, curled up in my fort of pillows and blankets, it feels like heaven and I never want to move.  _ My room.  _ I bring down my arm and open my eyes, and it takes a moment but the darkness soothes me and my tender eyes and head. My blackout curtains are closed tightly, the lights are completely off; not a bit of light anywhere in the room. I breathe a sigh of relief. 

Now I can focus on what happened to me but all I remember is the hallway at school and looking at the new teacher, the blinding sun in the office and the memory itself calls my headache to start pulsing in my temples. I decide that the first thing I need to do I talk to my mom, figure out what happened. She should know.

I walk into my bathroom first, planning to wash my face but my eyes shock me. They are completely red, like all the vessels inside have busted and on top of that my face is completely drained of color.  _ Wow _ … I did a number on myself. I sigh and walk away from the mirror. For a girl who cares about looks, this was a complete travesty, but at least I’m comforted by the fact it’s Friday and school is out for the weekend, so I have until then to heal up. I open my door, fidgeting, as Mom will probably freak when she sees my eyes. The kitchen is empty and so is the living room.

If she’s at work then that means I won’t have to see her until late today, but hopefully I will be asleep, resting my eyes so that they heal up. If they don’t, I won’t go to school on Monday because no way am I walking through the halls looking like I hit a joint too hard nine days straight. I pull my hair back from my face, looping it into a ponytail. 

A rapping sound at the door echoes around the house and I look at the door.  _ Maybe Elena and Bonnie? _ Walking over to the door, I really hope it isn’t the UPS guy because he’s kind of cute and that would be a—that light… Through the windows around the door is the light in the office at school.  _ Who is he? _ I stand against the door, wondering what will happen if I open it. Will I pass out again? Will I go blind? Is he a super-dangerous, possible murderer waiting to be let inside our house?  _ Like hell.  _

“Miss Forbes, are you okay?” He speaks through the doorway.  _ He knows I’m here? _ I panic. How can he know? I have to take many breaths to calm down after that;  _ He can’t do anything to me, the door is locked. _ I look down at the door handle to make sure it was definitely locked and am relieved when it is. “Miss Forbes?” His voice carries a heavy accent—rich and gruff. If I was in the mood, I'd probably be very attracted to him, if he wasn’t a dangerous killer, most likely. It’s the only theory I have for a light that strong because I had never encountered a light that strong- what could exist in the world that would be that dangerous. He isn’t normal, is he? “Miss Forbes, I’m the new art instructor, Klaus Mikaelson. I brought you home the other day and you weren’t in school today so I wanted to check on you.” I feel the handle twitch next to my arm and take in a deep breath.

Wait! The other day? I wasn’t in school today? “What day is it?” I ask aloud. Speaking for the first time to him and this is my brilliant question… I want to laugh. 

“Today? It’s Tuesday, Miss Forbes.” He explains his voice lifting up at the end. He’s either confused or he thinks it’s funny. “Your mother brought in a doctor’s note for the week, she said you have mono, but I saw what happened in the hallway and that’s not a symptom of mono, is it Miss Forbes?” The handle jingles again and my heart rate takes off—this guy was dangerous and I don’t think in a human way. But more than that, it’s Tuesday? I slept for four days? I know I’m a fan of beauty sleep but that’s just too much. Why did Mom let me sleep so long? 

“Leave.” I say, walking away from the door, back towards my room when the door starts making a creaking sound. I turn around and from the handle, the wood is splitting like a spider web is forming. I don’t think my heart can go any faster. The door slowly swings open and I see him again for the briefest second before turning around. I don’t want to faint with him right when he’s going to kill me one way or another. He is off my scale, I have nothing to compare it to. “I don’t who or what you are, but leave me and my family alone.” I need to get him out of here, away from my sleepy town. 

“I’m sorry, Love- have we met?”  _ Love? _  I want to laugh at his nickname,  _ I'm _n_ ot your love, _  I tell him to myself _. _  His voice is at the doorway still, but he hasn’t come in at least. He’s staying outside. His voice on the other hand has gotten playful but also mean—he’s not here to play games. I decide against humoring him and run to my room, slamming the door shut. My hand finds my heart outrunning itself.  _ He’s not human _ . He can’t be human if he can do that with his hand. There was no sound like he kicked it and the handle was completely intact. 

I can’t hear anything going on outside the door of my room but if he was going to kill me, he would’ve been done already. I open my door just a crack and peak out, seeing if his light was visible but there was nothing but sunlight.  Tuesday sunlight. Along with facing Mr. Death, I also slept 4 days and apparently was out of school for the week. _Oh no!_ What if the students were talking about my episode? What if the cheerleaders voted me off captain’s seat because they no longer think I’m capable? Even worse... what if Elena was chosen to be captain?  _ This is not okay _ . I have to go to school tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

I walk into school with sunglasses on and many students stare at me. I’m used to being stared at, I’m one of the hottest girls in school, plus president of the student body and captain of cheer squad, but I know these stares are from Friday and my absence. Word must have spread. Oh well. I’m Caroline Forbes. Nothing can hurt me. My skin has returned to normal, so I didn’t need to use too much makeup to hide the damage and my eyes… well, they’re less red. I’m not a miracle worker. 

I walk forward to my locker to grab the necessary items for class, dreading fifth period: art. It didn’t occur to me to fear it last night, but now I’ll be forced to see him, unless… I change my direction and head for the office. 

“Hi, Mrs. Manners,” I say as I reach the counter, the glass door closing behind me. The old woman looks up and smiles at me warmly. “I was wondering if I could change my schedule—I know it’s a bit late but—“ 

“I’m sorry, Caroline, but you know the rules.” She says matter-of-factly and it takes me a moment to get past wanting to grit my teeth.

“Yes, I know but I really need out of art class, the curriculum is too much with the presidency and squad captain, plus the Miss Mystic Falls competition is coming up soon.” I beg her, hoping that she’ll take some pity for an overworked girl. “And,” I take of my glasses, “I’ve been so stressed, I’ve been in bed sick. Just look at my eyes.” She looks up from her computer and gasps, her face washed in grandmotherly worry.

“Oh you poor thing! Hurry and put those glasses back on before you stress your eyes out anymore!” She pushes me and I slip them back on my face, my eyes relaxing under the dimming factor. “And if that’s what you are worried about, you should know that last week,” she waves me closer like it’s national security, “we actually hired a new art teacher to replace Mrs. Barns. Old woman was going senile, I say, but the new teacher doesn’t seem harsh at all, honey.” She tells me with a happy smile. How can no one pick up the serial killer vibe he throws? Was it the accent? I sigh in defeat, resting my head on the counter. It was nice and cold, not that Mrs. Manners had a glow about her. She was a complete zero. 

“Thank you anyways,” I mumble as I trudge out of the office, where Bonnie appeared to be waiting for me. I loop my arm in hers as we make our way to class. 

“What’s that about? Your mom said you won’t be in school til next week.” She asks and I wave her off.

“My mom thought I needed time after Friday’s episode, but I okay as long as I have these,” I point to my blackout glasses, keeping all glows at bay. I spin the combo and grab my notebook, stuffing them in my bag. 

“What happened Friday, Caroline? Elena and I were so worried.” She pulls me in close, “Elena actually cried,” she whispers and I suppress a smile. Elena and I were rivals, true, but there was a friendship in it. We liked each other’s company and were best friends.

I remember when I told Elena about the glow on the playground in elementary school. We had been glued to the hip since day one, so I got up the courage to tell her. I didn’t expect her to laugh and ask me if I was playing pretend again. To prove it, I pointed to a teacher and told her the he was dangerous. She laughed at me, but when I told our teacher that he scared me, she reported it and the next week he was arrested, caught for something I didn’t know. When I asked my mom, she looked a bit proud that her daughter was the one to find him, but then scared, for me or by me, I don’t know. Elena believed me after that, that I could see how dangerous people were but separated from me until middle school. We became cheerleaders and she wandered back to my side, apologetic but sincere; since then we were rivals and best friends.

Bonnie came in around that time. Her family had always been in Mystic Falls but her parents moved away after they got married and then were killed in an accident around her thirteenth birthday, so she had to move in with her Grandma. When we met, she was still grieving but threw herself into school and club activities to distract her from it. We all clicked instantly and at a sleepover at Elena’s, we circled up on the floor, telling ghost stories and Bonnie asked if we wanted to know a secret. We were thirteenth, of course we wanted to know. She talked about how she caught her grandma practicing magic in the basement a few weeks ago. I could tell she feared her new life under the brave front. To comfort her, I shared my secret as well. Bonnie became bit frightened of me afterwards, but came around quicker than Elena, it only took her two weeks. Then, she took me to her grandmother, and her grandmother held my hand and closed her eyes. She didn’t have any answers either, but she knew I wasn’t a witch, not a drop of witch’s blood in me. I could have told her that.

Honestly, even if I wanted to know, it’s not possible. I’m just different, unnatural. The eye doctor has never noticed anything different, my eyes are completely normal but what they see is not. Maybe it’s in my head, somewhere deep in my brain or maybe it’s in my blood, coursing through me, no name because it’s never been seen, undetectable by the most serious of tests. The world holds a lot of secrets, I’m probably one of many, including the current eyesore, Mr. Mikaelson, and because I’m sure no human is that dangerous, meaning he is something else and I’m actually really afraid of him. 

I bring myself back to the present, sitting in history watching Elena make heart eyes at Stefan who sits in the front row. I feel like vomiting. Tyler sits in the front row too, and I feel like vomiting again for another reason.  _ Jerk. _ I fix my eyes to the front, Bonnie throws a note on my desk. I look over at her with a suppressed smile and she nods her head to it. I open it up and my blood runs cold. 

_ Elena said Mr. Mikaelson has been asking about you ;) _

No way. He wouldn’t. He was dangerous, I know that, but to anyone else, he’s just an art teacher waiting to grade projects. They can’t see his horrible glow emanating from him so brightly, he can kill with it—hell, he doesn’t even know it. 

I can't let this go on, I decide. I fold up the note and raise my hand, asking to go to the nurses for my migraine, even taking off my glasses to get out of class. Mr. Saltzman doesn’t ask questions about the bloodshot eyes and shoos me away, probably thinking it's a symptom of mono. I don’t care. All I care about is finding out what this murderer teacher wants with me that he’d go this far. I look into the window and see him sitting at his desk, his glow still the same, my migraine pulsing behind my temples, but I push past it to see him. My eyes start watering in protest and I push myself against the wall and close my eyes, taking in a deep breath and counting to 10. I can do this, I’m not scared of him. He’s nothing.

“Come in, Miss Forbes.” I hear from inside the class and my heart leaps into my throat and my eyes tighten in response.  _ Oh, my god, I’m going to die today _ . How does he know I’m here? He’s not normal- no normal person would be—unless he saw me through the window. Yes, that’s what happened, that’s it. I clench my hands together and steel myself.  _ I got this. _ I turn back around, wiping the water from my cheeks and turn the doorknob. He doesn’t look up at me, just keeps flipping through the book. 

From his chair, his glow radiates around him. It was like it was alive, it’s so strong. I could believe that almost. It hurt to look at him straight on because of it but maybe it was because I was prepared now, it didn’t knock me on my ass.  _ Here’s to hoping.  _ “Why are you looking for me?” I ask him, looking towards the windows as I walk across the room, avoiding his unnaturally bright glow.

“If I answer that, will you answer my questions?” He muses, still thumbing through the tomb on his desk.

“I think it depends on your questions.” Am I really negotiating with a manic? I pick up a paint brush and twirl it in my fingers, my heart starting to pick up pace. I’m nervous and I know why. I know that I shouldn’t be here. Though worse than being in a room with him is they let this predator in a school at all, that he was walking around freely. I should just report him but this isn’t kindergarten and now I need evidence if I think someone is dangerous.

The bell dings overhead and I jump. Classes are switching and I hear students flooding into the halls, chattering and joking with each other and Mr. Mikaelson finally looks up at me. I wince behind my glasses but that’s all. His glow is strong, seriously strong, but how was it enough to knock me out if I can tolerate it this well? I try not to question it. He doesn't ask me to remove my glasses and I'm thankful for that, as they are keeping some of it at bay but he does stand, coming around his desk to sit on one of the stools next to an easel. It dawns on me that I’m alone with him, who is staring me down like a wolf and I’m his prey. I’m completely alone. Bonnie and Elena are probably chatting at their lockers, not knowing that I am sacrificing myself so everyone else lives. I haven't told them about out possibly murderous teacher and they don't ask for an explanation of my four-day sleep. But here I am.

I drop the brush back into its tray and speak again, “why are you looking for me?” I ask.

“You passed out in front of me, Love. I was concerned, as your teacher.” His tone is haughty and I think he enjoys this, lying and tricking people.

“Cut the crap, Mr. Mikaelson. You broke my front door and you want to pass it off as concern? Yeah, not gonna work.” I say, throwing his haughtiness back at him. _ Two can play this game. _ Looking at him from the corner of my eyes, I can tell that m ischief hides in his glare along with a sense of curiousness. He eyes me, trying to figure something out, something I am not willing to tell him as well. I breathe in and out, remembering mom’s words from when I was little,  _ in through the mouth, out through the nose _ .

“Look at me,” His voice is low, lethal, and I’m scared. My eyes flash toward his face and automatically close but the light still burns them. I hate this ability- I hate this whole situation. He was just supposed to be a hot teacher and now I’m praying for my life. A shiver runs down my spine and goosebumps cover my arms. I cross them over my chest and turn my body toward him, facing him dead on.  _ I can do this _ . I stare at his face and fight black the glow, telling it to dim for me and to my surprise, it actually does. I gasp aloud and smile, despite the situation. 

This has never happened before! I’ve always been annoyed at the glow and wished it would go away but this was different. It actually went away! Not completely but it dimmed! I did something, I made it do something. Oh my god! I did something to the glow! “Stay still!” I tell Mr. Mikaelson, completely lost in my mini-celebration as I stare him down and think,  _ dim _ , to the glow surround him. It doesn’t even flicker. 

I calm down, running my hands along my jeans and do it again, this time closing my eyes as I inhale and then releasing the command again. I open my eyes to just find Mr. Mikaelson sitting there, completely empty of light.  _ Holy shit! _ I squeal and spin in happiness and then I feel a wave of pain in my head unlike my headaches. I stand still, moving my hand to my forehead as a dizzy spell knocks into me and then his glow is back. I feel behind me with my other hand, finding a stool and collapsing on it. 

And then I remember where I am and who I’m with and I just outed myself to the potential psycho out to shut me up for good.  _ Great.  _ He moves now, coming to be in front of me. I feel his hands on my head, lifting my glasses from my face.  _ Is he a rapist?  _ “Caroline, look at me.” He says, his voice is calm but still there’s an edge to it. 

“I really can’t,” It’s breathless, a whisper, a plea. I don't mean to say it, but I can't help it. My head feels like it's splitting open. I did something though and I know how to recreate it but the pain of the reaction was too much, I couldn’t handle another wave of it again and I also couldn’t look at the cause for all this trouble.

His voice is low, next to me. “What are you?” He asks. I can just imagine how I look right now. I’m probably ragged, my skin is probably pale again, my makeup smudged from the pain-induced tears, and there's a hot, dangerous man who is about to do me in any second. This situation is not going how I planned it. “What was that just now?” He wipes the tears from my face, probably trying to get me to look at him, to see what no one can see.

“I wish I knew an answer but I probably wouldn’t tell you,” I answer, my voice weak. I sound so little. I don’t want to appear weak in front of him but I can’t help it, it’s not in my control. I feel tear slip out of my eyes as my head rages, “Are you going to kill me now?” I ask, wondering for the thousandth time. He won’t tell me anything and I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into. He’s like a sun shining at me and I can’t manage to look away. 

“What?” His hand falls away, “I know I don’t make great first impressions, but do you really think that low of me?”

I need to lay down, to sleep. I shouldn’t have come back this early. “Yes,” I grit out, barely managing to open my eyes. “You’re dangerous and asking around for me like I know your big secret,” I say. What’s the point of hiding it now when I’ve already exposed myself? “I know you are, and you’re crazy strong. You broke our front door without kicking it in and there were no signs of tampering with it.” I let my eyes slip closed, tired of fighting him. 

“That doesn’t quite equal a murderer, Love.” He says, and this time the edge is gone. “So are you a witch then?” and then it’s back and I’m under interrogation. If I wasn’t used to Bonnie’s grandma, I probably would’ve freaked out at that question. 

“No, not a drop of witch in my blood,” I answer, hating how this situation played out. “So, what are you, now you know my secret? I think I should know why you’re so dangerous.” I sway in my seat and his hands clasp my shoulders.

“Let’s go to the nurse’s office. If you don’t know anything, nothing matters anyway.” He says, picking me up and walking me to the office. I didn’t know exactly what he meant by that and I don’t think he’ll tell me.


	4. Chapter 4

Mr. Mikaelson doesn’t call for me anymore, through my friends or at home. It’s almost like it never happened. He treats me with indifference like any other student that passes through his doors. It’s been a week already and it’s not like I’m waiting for something to happen but usually when someone finds out about me, they ask me all those questions, but Mr. Mikaelson wasn’t even fazed by my outburst, instead it almost seemed like learning these things was an everyday occurrence. 

I walk out of his class and Elena meets me at the door chatting with Bonnie. I haven't told them about our possibly murderous teacher and they don't ask for an explanation of my attitude towards him either. 

“Caroline, you in for the Grill tonight?” Elena asks. The Grill being the local hangout for drunks and students and I, needing time with friends, away from thoughts of a world I don’t belong to nor want to be in, though I know I’ll be around glows all night, think about it. Drunk people give off dangerous glows and the more dangerous a person becomes, the worse the glow. Like Damon, Stefan's brother, without alcohol, is a 2, I don't know why, but get him drunk enough that he's carrying around his precious bottle of Jack and he'll become a 4.

I look toward the door of the art room, towards a very dangerous guy who has me confused. I seriously thought that he wanted to murder me and now he was acting as if I wasn’t worthy of even a glance. For a guy who broke down my front door… ugh, I don’t even know why I was thinking like this. I should be glad the murderer has moved on from me. 

“Yea, sounds like fun.” I say, stuffing my books in my locker rather roughly. 

**.**

“I love being a third wheel," I groan, sitting on the other side of a booth from Elena and Stefan. I probably wouldn't have come out if she told me he would be here, which is probably why she neglected to mention it, "It’s so fun," I twirl my straw in my drink, muttering to myself as they act cute and bothersome, completely ignoring me for each other. Where the hell is Bonnie? "This isn’t sarcasm. No, definitely not," I lean back into booth with a sigh, looking around the dim place, though the glows provide more than enough light. 

It hasn't even been an hour since they picked me up and this is what I have to be exposed too. Elena spares a glance my way but returns her attention back to Stefan. Matt, a footballer at school and a close friend, works, picking up cups and cleaning table tops. An ex from sophomore year... that was an awkward year, dating Elena’s ex and then breaking up with Elena’s ex and then dating Matt’s best friend for almost two years… and look how that turned out. God, I wish I could drink in public. 

I flick my straw away and turn towards the pool table, where Tyler was playing, Hayley standing at his side, glaring me down- though he doesn’t spare me a glance, not that I want it. When he made his choice, the deal was done. He went to that party knowing Hayley was there and that she liked him. He knew I would be there, as most of the cheer squad and football team went, and he knowingly followed her up the stairs. Was I still bitter? Of course. I was cheated on. But that didn’t mean I wanted him back or that I still harbored good feelings for him.

“Are you trying to memorize my face?” I snap out of my thoughts and memories to Hayley standing in front of me. Her face is twisted into a scowl. She would be kind of pretty but unfortunately she was a jealous wreck. 

“I’m sorry?” It’s a question, plain and simple. My attention had been on the pool area but to take that as interest in her, I wonder if her ego is bigger than mine. 

Her hands go to her hips, her gaze intensifies. I feel Elena sit up straighter, turning her attention away from Stefan as they both focus on the fight I hope is not brewing. “You’ve been staring us down since we arrived,” I haven’t, I just noticed them, “and my boyfriend is getting creeped out,” Her sneer twists her face up and she over-enunciated on the word boyfriend. 

“Look, I don’t know if you’re just really insecure tonight so you feel like picking a fight with your boyfriend’s ex-” It came so fast I wasn’t expecting it. I can usually tell when girls are about to fly off the handle, but now with the burning in my cheek and the pain in my head, plus a semi-rejection wound on my pride, she picked a fight on the wrong night.

“Don’t dare talk about my boyfriend.” She growls and flexes her hand. I guess my face isn’t the only thing that stings. I don’t pay attention to her, trying my hardest to just sit back with my coke before I lose it. I’ve been slapped by a dog in a dress and my pride isn’t doing too good.

“You just hit me,” I say, looking up at her. She might be a two, but I’m a sheriff’s daughter. I give up on holding it in and stand up, pushing her away from my booth.

“Caroline,” Elena warns from behind me. I don’t pay her mind as I continue advancing on Tyler’s watchdog.

Tyler comes down from the tables, pulling on her, “Stop, she’s sick, okay?” 

“I’m not sick, you imbecile,”  _ I’m cursed _ . Hayley fights his grip, grabbing on me instead so that I fall. I brush my hair out of my face, seconds before she descends on me, legs pinning me down, her arm against my throat. 

“Sick? Are you ill, cheerleader? Need me to call Mom?” She’s taunting me. I pull my knees up, hitting her in the back with one of them, enough to shake her so that I can get back on my feet. My anger rises in me, just like when I saw Tyler coming down from the stairs, buttoning his shirt, trying to hide the fresh bruise from me. That anger that pools inside of me, hot and bright, like the glow around everyone. Suddenly everything is bright- my vision goes black for a second before returning, fuzzy, but returning. 

“How about I call your babysitter?” I hear, the voice heavily accented, “You sure are throwing a fit, no?” I press my hands over my eyes, hearing him was enough- I can’t believe he was seeing in me like this. I feel a hand take mine, pressing my bag into it and I slip it over my shoulder. He drags my body behind his and I don’t fight him, hiding behind his body. He’s  _ helping _ me. I can’t believe I am letting him help me, after ignoring me for a week like I didn’t matter, now he’s stepping in? When I’m not even at my best?

“And you are?” Hayley sounds impressed, probably wanting to conquer another man in my vicinity.  _ Pathetic _ . I keep my head down and my eyes closed.  _ Please just end me now. _

“Someone way too old for you, sweetheart.” His chuckle is laced with menace, sending a shiver down my spine. He’s not a rescuer, he’s dangerous. I try to pull my hand away- no longer wanting his protection, but his grip is as tight as a manacle, like iron. He’s not letting go.

“You realize your girlfriend is barely older than her right?” Tyler’s voice echoes, I hear the jealousy in it, though he’s hiding it. It’s easy to detect feelings through voices, it’s harder to hide them. Mr. Mikaelson doesn’t reply. I don’t know how he would reply to that without starting a whole new fight, probably getting into it with Tyler which isn’t a good way to impress employers. High-schoolers fighting? No biggie, a teacher vs. two high-schoolers? He’d be arrested. He could refute it but even telling the truth in this atmosphere would just start a fight. There was simply no way out of it. He leads us out of the bar, walking away from the fight. 

Funny, I actually thought he would play in to it. He seems like a man that can’t hold his tongue. 

I keep my eyes closed, following blindly, my ego hurting too much.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it's getting slow, so action is coming soon. Like next chapter... haha

My pride hurts, but I also want to know why he’s here and why he did that. “You always break up high school fights?” I try to joke, get some answers, but the air is strangely tense. 

“I was supervising, not participating.” His voice is tight- is he annoyed? At me? What did I do? 

“Hey, I didn’t ask you to help me. I didn’t even need your help.” I try to pull my hand away and this time I succeed. I let my eyes look at him, getting past the light to see his face isn’t so much annoyed, but pissed off. He catches my arm and the strength in that grip alone could break my arm. I wince in pain and he loosens, slackening his grip.

“Damn it, Caroline.” I try to see his face again but all I see is a strange shadow on his face… what the… the only light was coming from the street lamps and that wasn’t… I don’t know. I blink rapidly trying to make sense of what I just saw but when I get past the bright glow that sticks to him, I see my art teacher, looking very, very angry.

“What are you?” It’s a whisper that falls from my lips, curious and fearful. “What do you want?” I’m surprised I can get my voice to work, get the words out of my throat. I don’t know what to do. He faces me and I stare, the pain in my head wants me to let go again. To fall under the pain and sleep. I’ve stared at him for too long. I want to sleep. I want forget, but I can’t. I think I just saw something I shouldn’t have and now I am going to die. He will kill me and my mom, my friends- no one can protect them. 

He lets go of my arm and sits on a nearby bench with a flourish, “Me? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Love.” I have to cast my eyes down in case my brain actually explodes from exposure to the glow for so long. You think I would have a resistance by now. Even I admit, I keep trying to look at him. His laugh echoes around me, hard and bitter- this was it. I settle onto the bench with him, his arm resting along the back. 

“Are you going to kill me now?” I ask. This night keeps getting better and better. I came out to get away from all of this and now I’m fighting for my life that I can’t even save.  

His body moves, turning toward me and I feel his knee hit my thigh before he moves again, the heat gone as soon as it showed up. “I won’t kill you,” He catches a curl of mine in his hand, lightly tugging it straight. The fear is gripping me by my throat. Will he kill me or won’t he? Will tonight be my last? “I don’t plan too, at least.” His voice is close my ear and his breath is warm, I actually feel my eyes flutter.  _ How did this guy become a teacher?  _ My heart starts racing and I don’t if it’s from fear or not anymore. 

_ No. _ I get up, pulling out of his hold, “You’ve ignored me this whole week after chasing me down and breaking into my house, and now you’re what? Flirting with me, your student no less?” 

“You know, this is what I’m starting to enjoy about you. You’re so much more than a pretty face.” 

I struggle to look at him again, but I want to see his face, I need to know his expression, but instead of seeing him teasing me, he looks sincere. And maybe it’s the stress of the night, but I don’t really know how to handle this new development. I walk away, hugging my arms to my body and I don’t hear him follow me which I think I’m thankful for, but something tugs at me a little bit, for now I don’t want to call it disappointment, so I’ll leave it empty, ignoring it.

**.**

“Elena, come on!” I say, throwing my hands in exasperation. She just looks at me, tired.

“You disappeared last night with a guy half your age and a teacher, no less, Caroline. You’ve missed practice quite a few times due to your condition—“

“I can’t control that, Elena!” I can’t help but get mad, she knows I can’t do anything about it and yet is throwing it at me like it’s my fault. I see her eyes flicker but the mistrust comes back. 

“Until you can tell me and Bonnie the truth about whatever has been going on in your life the last few weeks, I don’t want to hear it. I’ll see you at practice, Captain.” She walks past me, and I see Stefan looking curiously at us down the hall with Bonnie in tow.  _ Great.  _ She acts like I’m the only one with secrets, like they don’t have secrets of their own? At least theirs don’t mean life and death like mine do. They’re asking for something I can’t tell them and they don’t even know it. 

“Caroline,” I look down the hall to see a bright light moving towards me, stopping at the art room, “a word, please.” I internally sigh, rolling my eyes under closed lids, wanting to bash my head into the lockers behind me. After the mess last night, it couldn’t get more embarrassing could it? Now he was singling me out? Soon, there would be gossip everywhere about us having an illicit affair. I make sure Elena and Co. are gone before grabbing my lunch and swinging my locker shut, following him through the door.

**.**

“I’ll help you.” My head snaps to his face, before I cast my eyes down. Why does he have to surprise me like that?

“What? Help?” I choke out around my tea. I shouldn’t have come in here for lunch. “What can you do for me?” He sits at his desk, his fingers resting on his lips as if he’s thinking really hard about my question.

“I’m not normal.” He says cryptically.

“You don’t say.” I fire back. I might not know exactly what he is because of his tight lips but he knows I know that much, especially after our little talk last night. I look up for a moment and find him glaring at me and a smile tugs on my lips. I don’t know why exactly we’re acting like friends. We aren’t—it’s just that I know now that he’s not going to kill everyone I love and cherish. 

“But, that being said, it means I know someone who might be able to get your vision under control.” I go back to my lunch, wondering if what he said was true. He barely even believed me about the glows but if he knew someone who existed beyond the world I knew. I wouldn’t turn him down. I want to be able to make eye contact with this sarcastic ass and diss him to his face instead of his shoes. “Meet me here, after the final bell.” I nod, finishing up my salad.

“Oh!” I say, looking up and then berating myself. My eyes just got back to normal, am I really going to be like this? “I have cheer practice after final bell, can you wait until then?” I pack up my container and move toward the door.

“Sure thing, Love.” I want to turn back and glare at him for his insincere answer but I treasure my looks and my eyes are included in that, so I continue to next period.

**.**

I wipe the sweat from my neck with my towel, heading for the showers. Elena has ignored me except for “Captain’s Orders”. I guess she’s taking this really serious now. I don’t get why they can’t just trust me that I’m doing the right thing and not questions my every move?

“Elena!” It ricochets off the tile walls. “Are you really going to be like this?” I ask her as all eyes are on us, from the squad to the janitor women. Elena throws down her towel, maybe annoyed that I’m calling her out like this. “Do you I really need to report my every move to you?”

“It’s not about that, it’s about trusting each other, Caroline!” Her voice is comforting to her it in a friendly way even if we were yelling at each other, sweating like pigs. “And the fact of the matter is, is you aren’t telling us anything!”

“Do I have to? Can you not just trust me like before?” I walk up to her and throw my towel on the bench. We stare at each other, both equally annoyed and yet I have to stop a smile from playing out, trying to stifle a laugh. I don’t know why but I also see Elena doing the same. We both know were being ridiculous. And with that I start laughing, “This is pointless.” I say between breaths and she starts laughing as well.

We’re friends at the end of every argument and I know that this will past just as the fit of laughter does. She stares at me with those brown eyes that make you want to believe everything she says. “Can’t you tell me?” I shake my head, disappointed by the sad look in her eyes.

I take her hands in mine, “Trust me when I say that I’m protecting you, okay?” She holds my hand back and nods, pulling me in for a hug. I want my friends as un-involved as possible, even if it means they get mad at me. I need them safe. “Ew! Elena, shower first!” I push her off and she laughs with me again. I start to follow her to the showers when a cheerleader yells for me.

“Caroline! Mr. Mikaelson says that he’s not waiting any longer.”  _ Thanks for that, freshman.  _ Elena is staring at me wide eyed and I want to die inwardly. The girl leans out the door and then looks back at me, “He’s says right now or deals off.”  _ You’ve got to be kidding me. _

“Can I at least shower?” I ask the go between and she leans out the door again. What is this weird game of telephone going on? Tomorrow there will be rumors galore and then we’ll both probably be called into the principal’s office.  _ Forget about him killing me, I’ll murder him. _

“He say now or he’ll let you fail art with no worries.”  _ Fail... art? Probably have the highest grade in the class?  _ I look around them and then it clicks—this dumbass. Elena stares me down, great. Now they think their captain is an idiot you can’t even draw a straight line. 

“At least let me change into something not covered in sweat.” I yell toward the door. 

“He’s walking away.” She reports and I curse aloud, grabbing my bag and my change of clothes and rush to the door, pushing past the girl and running into the hallway.  _ He has got to be kidding. _ I run around the corner and there he is, leaning against the wall next to the doors, looking as cool and aloof as ever, while I’m sticky with sweat and probably smell like a cow in summer. 

“You’re ready?” He asks, pushing off the wall and opening the door.

“You could have let me showered at least.” I scowl at him, walking past him. I should look him in the eyes, but it’s impossible to do that.

“Caroline,” He sounds normal, his voice void of any menace, “Let’s have an honest chat, shall we?” He walks next to me and if anyone saw us they would probably think I was a pissed off girlfriend.

“Sure, just tell me what you are.” It’s not even a question anymore but a demand. I want to look at his face, read him and take in what his eyes say over listening to vocal cues. Sure I can look at him for maybe a total of three minutes every meeting before my eyes start burning like I was look at the sun, but what will that get me except an intense migraine? “You already know I see lights around people, like auras kind of, but the color is always a white-yellow,” I laugh. I’ve never actually explained their characteristics to someone. This was a first. “But they aren’t auras, per say, just a reading of danger. And it can differ. Like my mom, she’s a good one at home but I’ve seen her out on duty and she became a four.” I stop babbling, realizing I’m just exposing myself while he says nothing in return.  _ Damn it. _

“I see.” He unlocks his car, sleek and black, something I would’ve guessed he would drive, and gestures for me to get in, “can you control it?”

“I’m not answering any more questions until you share your secret, too, Mr. Mikaelson.” I chunk my stuff in the back seat and he turns out of his spot.

We sit at the turn-out for a moment and he turns to me, leaning close. I feel my heart pick up speed but for once I wasn’t scared, it was attraction. And I was so not going to explore that lane. I don’t pull back though from him either, but hold my ground. “Okay, Love, rules. Outside of school, my name is Klaus, please. I’m only in this gig right now to throw someone off my tracks, which is not something that includes you so don’t ask. Second, I don’t owe you answers. I volunteered my connections to help you out, so the least you could do is answer me, because you do, in fact, owe me, Love. And third, well, we’ll talk about it later.”  _ What? What’s number three? _

“Okay, tough guy, here are my rules. One, I’m not your “love” so knock that off. Two, you are only helping me by connecting me to someone who actually can help me, so it’s not really you that I owe, okay? And three, never come get me from the locker rooms like that again. Those freshman are like piranha’s climbing up the food chain, rumors will be everywhere by end of school tomorrow and next thing you know, you’re fired and on the run from your big bad and I’m looking at a mark on my permanent record.” I challenge his gaze but notice that during my lecture, it turned from hostile to soft, not like Elena soft but like I-have-no-plans-to-murder- you soft.

He chuckles, though I don’t think there is any humor in it. A car honks behind us and he turns left, the opposite way from home.

“You’re going to kill me, right, at some point? So why bother with me?” I ask him, massaging my temples to try and make my headache slow down. I guess it’s because we’re in the car together, closer than we’ve ever been, plus handling his gaze for so long to gain some ground with him was not a smart move.

He doesn’t answer me, but lets me sit. Maybe he knows I’m in pain right now, maybe there’s actually a shred of decency in him, though that’s hard to believe. I lay my head against the window and the cool glass does have some effect on me. My heart rate slows down and I can breathe evenly. 

The car comes to a stop and I sit up and look around,  _ did I fall asleep?  _ My headache faded just a bit but it was still bad, especially in close range of him and I don’t think it was going to get any better today or any day. I exit the car and stand in front of a country house. A big old house on the outskirts of town it seems. 

I move forward when I feel his hand on my shoulder. It was then that I become conscious of my outfit. I’m still in training clothes which are shorts and a tank top and my hair is matted from sweat and not to mention my face is completely bare and his hand is on my shoulder and I know firsthand what kind strength lies behind it and now it’s on my shoulder and yet all I can think about is that his hand, this teacher who shouldn’t be a teacher, who makes my heart race in nervousness from two different feeling, is touching me and how my breath seems to be stuck in my throat and once more it’s not because I’m scared… but because… No! No, no, no, not this. Not him. Never him.

“Will you even believe me if I say I don’t want to kill you?” His breath is against my ear and he smells like mint and brandy.  _ When did he get close? _ “I’m intrigued by you, Caroline, not planning on murdering you. You have a power but you aren’t a witch- you smell completely human.”  _ I’m human? _ I laugh at my stupidity, like that was ever a question. Of course I’m human- my mom is human, as well as my dad. There was no chance of any other outcome. I think the only reason I remained standing was because he was behind me, and then he wasn’t. 

I look up to see his back, walking away from me and toward the house.  _ What on earth just happened? _


	6. Chapter 6

He holds open the door for me as we walk in. I think more to make sure I actually go in more than being a gentleman. Though I can’t help but feeling like I’m walking into a dragon’s nest. I’m not even trusting him- I don’t think I am. I don’t see why I would, I can’t even look at him regularly.

He motions me into a sitting room of to the side and I follow his motions. I must play by his rules now as I’ve walked into his world. The way he carries himself her is different room the way he is at school. At school, he stays in the art room and doesn’t venture out except for meetings. I’ve never seen him talk to someone that wasn’t a principle or student but here, he was confident and almost sultry. It’s like he shed his skin and was comfortable for once. It’s a bit shocking and a little… sexy.

He leaves me for a moment and I’m left alone in this big room. The room was old, that’s for sure. I could tell just from the look of it outside, had to have been built back during reconstruction but the room I was in was sparsely decorated, there’s a fire place with an active fire but it’s still pretty without any feminine touch. There are a lot of art supplies here and there and also an easel with a snowflake outline on it… pretty.  

When he comes back, he is not alone. There is an older male, his glow is a bit dimmer than Klaus’s but still bright. I look away as quickly as I looked at him. My gaze bounds around the room. I avoid the two men, staring down at me. Klaus had no doubt filled the older guy in on everything that he got out of me. I stare at my hands, fixing my nails where the cuticles had grown in. 

“Caroline,” the new guy’s voice was lighter, but carried more authority. From that one word I could tell that he was calmer than Klaus, that he was rational before rushing in. His voice was so calm that it was peaceful. I wonder who he is.

“Yes?” I made my voice small on purpose. I know there is danger here even if I want there not to be. I won’t ignore it, it’s impossible when I know that one wrong move and my life is over. But I can’t afford to lose to them, even though I’m helpless anyway. The rational one takes a knee, coming eye level with me and I automatically shy back. The light wasn’t enough to make me pass out anymore, not since that first day. I guess I’ve grown to accustom to it though it still causes severe migraines. _ So fun.  _ I groan to myself.  _ What have I gotten myself into? _

“I told you stay back.” Mikaelson growls, pulling him away from me. They argue hushed for a few moments and I hate that I have to be here, waiting for someone to speak up. I can’t even watch them discussing my fate because of my migraine. I close my head and lean back in the chair. It’s not really a moment to relax but oh well. 

I feel a hand light on my shoulder and I know its Klaus. He should really stop touching me. I don’t know why he makes my heart go haywire, and I’m not quite ready to discover it either. But the way his hand lays and the vibe from it, it feels like he’s protecting me. I shrug off his hand, not even knowing how to interpret him or his intention- but if he’s planning on using me like a secret weapon in some pissing war than he can forget that. 

I hear a chuckle from the other side, the older guy. He likes seeing his brother rejected? Or was it something else. If only I could look at them. “Caroline,” The elder one speaks again, “I’m Elijah, Niklaus’s older brother.”  _ Niklaus?  _ Ahh, Mr. Mikaelson is Niklaus and the older guy is his brother.  _ How sweet. _

“Are you also…” I trail off, knowing that he’ll catch the question I’m asking. 

Another chuckle. “Yes, quite so, we’re originals.” The explanation fell so easily from him and I knew it was because if even stepped a toe out of line, that would be the end of me, but originals? Although I don’t even know what he means, I know the implication.

“I’m sorry?” I ask, opening my eyes to look at him. He looks… dapper, almost. Like an old-school hot. 

“You didn’t tell her?” He turns to Klaus and Klaus shrugs, leaning against the oak doorway now as to behind me. “How could you bring her here unaware, Niklaus? You never think!” He starts lecturing him and I have to suppress a smile. Klaus is getting in trouble and I think it’s the first amusing thing since I meant the psycho.

“She didn’t need to know.” Klaus growls and that stops my giggles before they can surface. He’s back to being lethal.

“Oh yes, Niklaus, bring a human to a vampire den with a hot headed imbecile, nothing can go wrong.”

“I’m sorry, did you say vampires?” I ask to no one as they keep bickering.  _ Vampires? Is that what the glow means? _

“Kol isn’t even here so there was no need to say anything at all!” Klaus roars across the room and Elijah looks like he is ready to cut him a new one.

“I was talking about you, little brother.” I hear Klaus growl at Elijah before leaving room, hearing something shatter in another room. I look to Elijah, trying to deal with the glow and the new information. 

“I’m sorry?” I ask again and he come to sit in front of me, pulling up a chair. I wish he would’ve stayed back, it’s easier for me that way. He smiles at me and it’s almost warm but there something behind it. 

He crosses his legs and fold his hands, “Well, I guess it’s down to me to explain.” His eyebrows raise and I have a feeling that he is the oldest of the siblings. He carries himself like Elena. “We are Originals. Our father created us a long time ago and called us vampires. We drink human blood to survive and we can’t be killed with stakes and crosses don’t have effects on us.” His smile is gone and he just stares at me openly as I drop my gaze. 

Vampires? They were real? “That would explain a lot,” is all I can manage to say in response. I don’t really know what to do with this information. I stepped into Klaus world for answer and now I had them, I just didn’t expect them to be so… insane? But is it? I mean I see glowing people and they drink human blood, same thing… I guess. “And you’re going to help me?” I ask him, still avoiding him and his glow. My head really hurts right now, especially with all the new info to take in. 

He bends low and catches my chin, forcing my gaze, “No one is killing you, Caroline.” His voice sounds light, but there is something more to it, a threat inside and what that means or who it is directed to, I don’t know. “But I am willing to find out how to help you.” I can’t help flinching backward in my chair, “so, can you tell me what my brother is so curious about?”

“I won’t help you in a fight, my power can’t be used outside my body.” I tell him and he actually laughs. 

“Let’s discuss that when you can actually  _ look _ at me,” his laugh subsides, “but for now just tell me what you see.” And so I do.

**.**

It’s been two weeks and with what I can do, I’ve technically made progress. I can look at the brothers for 10 minutes each without having my eyes water like a river and I can push the glow back for a minute or so, but after that, I pretty much pass out from the backlash of pain. 

I am aided by Elijah more than Klaus. Klaus gets too worked up and is usually sent away by Elijah. Yet I trust them, barely, but because they are willing to help, though I still don’t know why. I’ve also barely seen Klaus in school- though I do know that he is definitely not teacher material with his temper. I usually meet him outside and he drives me to his place, while everyone thinks I’m getting tutoring help in art, I guess you could call this tutoring. 

Today is different though, today there’s a girl. “Caroline, this is Sam,” She nods to me, her eyes watching me closely and I take note of the glow surrounding her. It’s nothing like Elijah’s or Klaus’s but it is high. “She’s a witch.” He tells me and nod back to her in greeting.

“I’m going to have her read you, see what it is that makes you different.” Elijah tells me and I look at her in wonder.

“She can do that?” I ask, and Sam laughs.

“I have no idea. I haven’t met anyone like you before.” She tells me and I deflate a little.  _ Oh. _

She has me lie back in a chair and draws a symbol on my hand. The paint or whatever is sticky and cold. I watch as she draws something on her hand and then looks at me, “Close your eyes.” She says and I follow her lead, letting my eyes fall shut, relaxing automatically without the glow burning my eyes. Her hand clasps mine, the paint combining into each other. The feeling was weird. I could feel her inside me but in my head, seeing through my eyes and looking through my memories. It feel invasive and wrong and my body grew tense.

“Relax, Caroline,” I hear outside of this, Elijah’s voice trying to coax me down from my cliff. I try to do as he says. The lit of his accent, the feel of his words, soft and reassuring, make me wonder why I had to meet his younger brother first. Klaus is stubborn and ignorant, believing without proof and ready to rush in without reason. Elijah, on the other hand, is patient and calm, reason was everything and no action never had an explanation. I wonder if he became that way because of Klaus. 

The impetuous man who kept helping me for some reason. Half of me found him annoying and the other half feared him, but I also couldn’t hide the fact that on some level, I was grateful for his help. “Caroline, focus,” Sam’s voice brings me back.  _ On what? _ I mentally ask and then I’m seized by pain. It hurts, everything hurts. I feel like my brain is frying itself and then it’s over. 

I roll my head over and see Sam cradling her hand. I can barely keep my eyes open, “That hurt.” My voice is raw and I see Klaus rush in the room, coming for me but I close my eyes, my head rest. This pain is incomparable to anything I’ve ever experienced. I feel like I can’t even sleep because the pain is so much. “I told you to help her, not kill her,” I hear him advance, though the sound is fuzzy. I’m losing consciousness. I know this feeling very well. It doesn’t take long actually, I barely feel it when I blackout completely.


	7. Chapter 7

“-to stop her! You can’t let her just go!” A girl’s voice. Yelling at someone. I open my eyes gently, my head still swimming around and they fall shut again. I’m not ready to wake up, I don’t want too. I still feel tired, drained. I feel like every bit of energy was wiped out of me. “If he finds her-” The girl is being annoying whoever she is. I curl up, pulling the blanket tighter around my shoulders, burrowing deeper into the comfiest pillow I have ever come across. Thinking of it, this bed is super comfy- way more than my own. 

“Will you both shut up?” My eyes spring open, Klaus’s voice echoes through the house. I’m still at the country house. I sit up and look around. The curtains are closed, a lamp lights the room, casting soft light everywhere. It still takes a minute for my eyes to adjust. The room is furnished with mostly dark wood items, a few pictures hang here and there, every piece a different setting. A desk sits in front of the windows, papers scattered everywhere across it. It looks like Elena’s desk during test season. “You’ll wake her up.” His voice is softer, that I almost don’t catch it. Is he worried about me? They must be close if I can hear them this well.

“She’s already awake, Nik.” The girl speaks again- who is she? She has the same accent they do, but she sounds young, my age maybe or just a bit older? A sister? How many siblings are there? Feet echo towards my door and it feel strange like nervous. I slept in someone’s room, in their bed and now they were coming to me?  _ This is embarrassing.  _ A knock on the door sounds and I close my eyes, preparing myself before they even walk in. 

What the hell happened with Sam? I watch as the door opens slowly and a blond comes in the room. Her eyes are very blue and her glow is strong but lesser than the two brothers. “Who are you?” I ask, as she advances around me. 

“I’m the sister,” she says, her voice telling me that she isn’t exactly someone I should mess with and I take the warning seriously. Elijah and Klaus come in behind her and Klaus look ready to murder her. “So I here you’re going to deliver us into the hands of Mikael,” her eyes glare daggers at me and my eyes flutter to Klaus for help. “I don’t know what my brother sees in you.” She says and that wakes me up. 

I get up from the bed, slightly wondering where my shoes have gone. I don’t care if her glow is bright like the sun, I won’t be put down like this when I have been through hell, I don’t what she’s been through. “Maybe he see a challenge, unlike some blond who attacks someone who doesn’t even know what’s going on after having her mind invaded and knock out because of it.” I stand toe to toe with as she snarls down at me and for once I don’t actually feel any fear. I have to look up at her a bi as she is taller than me, but I won’t take this. I’m Caroline freaking Forbes. 

“Do you want to practice some more?” Elijah asks me, trying to separate us and I remember the whole ordeal. 

“Where’s Sam?” I ask, the witch who tried to help me was nowhere in sight as I left the room. The trio followed me out as I actually took the chance to explore for once. There was nothing really out of order about the house. It seemed like a regular family country home, but beneath the surface it was basically a vampire’s lair. 

“She left.” I hear behind me.

“Ah, so that’s what you all were arguing about.” I say as I wander into the kitchen. It was big and up to date surprisingly for people who don’t actually eat. I sit down finally, into the bar stool at the island. The trio stands in front of me and I close my eyes. Too much at once, I guess. I did just wake up. “So, you going to tell me what happened? It’s not like it’s my life or anything.” I sass them and it’s Klaus my eyes find first as they open slightly. I was still tired and worn out but I wanted answers too. 

“Well, you’re dying for one.” The blonde girl says, a little too happy for my liking, but the words caught me and I sit up, the air suddenly serious. I watch Klaus turn on her, ready to lecture her or whatever, I didn’t care. 

“I’m what?” I look to Elijah, my tutor, to save me from this, “what?” He comes over to me and for once I don’t care about the pain in my head.

“Your sight, it’s scaring you inside, damaging you. Your mind can’t heal fast enough, that’s what she saw.” He says grabbing my hands and Klaus leaves his sisters side to come to mine, staring at my hands inside Elijah’s. “And you attacked with whatever it is that you can do, she told us that what happen was like a defense and it probably wasn’t good for what is happening to you already.” I close my eyes and extract one of my hands to wipe away my tears.  _ I’m dying then? From this condition, this power that I didn’t even ask for? _

“So the day in the hallway, when she passed out?” Klaus asks Elijah, and I bet it was Elijah that dealt with Sam afterward.

“Most likely.” Elijah releases my hand and pats me on the back, “go home for now, Caroline. Take a few days to rest.” A few days of rest wouldn’t fix this, wouldn’t save me. What do I do about my mom? Elena and Bonnie? How will they take this when they don’t even know what’s going on? I look at Klaus and he holds his hand out to me.  _ Great, pity. _ I take it and he wraps his arm around me as we go out to his car. I realize, belatedly, I don’t have shoes, but that’s the least of my worries right now.

“Don’t pity me.” I tell him as he starts the car. He doesn’t say anything back and I don’t pay attention to him either, after that.  _ How can I be dying? _

**.**

“Hey, Elena.” I say. My headache was thin, just a bit annoying. Her smile is strained and I know she’s still mad at me. “I’m sorry okay- I’ve just been tied up a bit,” because this is the only explanation I can give her, I try to press through with it, wanting to plan a sleepover for this weekend with her and Bonnie. 

“I’d forgive you a lot fast if you’d tell me what is tying you up everyday day and night. After cheer practice you run off- not even staying long enough to pep up the girls.” I glare at her, why bring cheer squad into this?

“Look, I know what I’m doing and I don’t need you to parent me. Save that for Jeremy.” I slam my locker closed and walk off, forgetting about the sleepover plans completely. It’s not her fault, but what can I do? I have limited time left and none of us even know when my clock will stop. I walk into art class, trying to shake this feeling of despair. What can I do?

**.**

I feel Klaus’s eyes on me as I sketch with the rest of the class, but he makes no move to talk to me or come near me. He keeps his distance like usual but especially because of yesterday. The bell rings and everyone gathers their things, putting things up, ready to leave and escape to the next dreadful class except for me. I stay at my easel, knowing it’s his last class anyway and Mrs. Carter isn’t going to hunt me down. “Elijah told you to rest.” Klaus says, starting to stack up the easels. 

“It won’t really matter, will it?” I feel like I just got diagnosed with an incurable disease. 

Klaus comes to stand next to me and my pencil falters as his glow enters my vision, “You know, I could turn you.” He says and I look up at him. It gets easier and easier, especially since I can pull it back at will now, as long as I stay within the thirty seconds. He doesn’t push me, to make me decide, he just continues cleaning up as I stay in my seat. His abilities are wondrous but I don’t think I trade my soul for them. I sit in my seat, farthest from him and look out the window. He probably heard everything in the hallway. He doesn’t even have to ask. It’s not like I don’t feel bad but telling them could endanger them and that’s the last thing I want to do. I’m sure on some level, in his dark heart, he can understand that.  _ Oh, I’ve become so pessimistic overnight.  _

I look out the window and there’s some girl staring at me. “Klaus,” I say as I watch her watching me. She looked normal, maybe my age, but I didn’t know her. I turn my attention outwards and then its there. Her glow is as bright as Klaus’s. My head starts throbbing. Even outside, even in pure daylight, even yards away from me, they still hurt. I see them as if they were right in front of me. I hear Klaus stand up, alerted that something had to be amiss. 

I feel his hand touch my back, “Keep your head down.” It’s all he says but I do it, scared of the person out there. From one touch on my back I can feel his muscles tense, it rolls off him like waves mixed with anger. A fight was about to take place on the worst day of my life. 

The door to the classroom opens, bouncing off the wall, and my head pops up, eyes finding the door still swaying, only one of the hinges holding it up and cracks spark from a hole left by a door knob. I don’t have a warning, just Klaus speeding by. One second he’s behind me and the next he’s throwing whatever, whoever barged in, out the window. I scream as glass shatters over me. This is far beyond what I’ve seen from them- I didn’t even- 

“Put your head dow-” I can’t hear anything anymore but ringing.  _ My head hurts. _ I feel my eyes try to open, but somehow all the strength inside feels empty, like it was seeped out of me. Like it’s seeping out me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote the story a bit because though I started out with a clear idea, I didn't really pay attention to how I was writing it, so I've been working on redoing it, so I posted what I've rewritten and hopefully the story will go better from now on!

I want to open my eyes, I want to look around, but all I can manage to do is roll my head around. My senses come in one by one. First is feeling, pain is everywhere, rolling from my head, down into my fingers. My wrists are especially painful. Ah, cuffs. My legs are asleep, pin-pricking raining down and up them. I feel the cuffs on my ankles too. 

Next, hearing comes around, voices murmuring around me, hushed, I think in a language I don’t know. I can’t make out words but I can hear them. There’s a lot of them, running around here. Then smell- there’s one smell above them all. Sickly sweet, but metallic. It’s not something I can place, then underneath is distilled water, gross. 

Finally my eyes open, and it's dark; no shadows, no light. Completely muted. I sigh in relief. My life is chaotic, the glows more powerful than ever. I think back. I’m here because of Klaus- I have to be. No one knows about me- no one even knows what I am, no documents of someone being able to sense the danger of a person ever existed without witches blood- but I have no witch blood in me. I’m an anomaly, so they had to come for Klaus. And why take me? Incentive? I’m to make Klaus obey and behave all because I was in his classroom? Except… what if they got Sam? Sam knows about me. 

_ This isn’t even my world _ , I want to cry. It’s not my fight and now I’m being held captive. I don’t even have a relationship with Klaus. I don’t even mean anything to Klaus and now I’m cuffed to a chair in dark room, probably by some bigger power than him and now I will definitely die, especially now. I’m going to die and it’s because of Klaus- I predicted this. I knew this. Oh stupid Caroline- you just had to run to him! Why not go sit with the boring History teacher? You know why, you went to Klaus’s room because you trust him, you’re friends with him, and now…  I’m having a mental conversation with myself…  _ great. _

I roll my head back, letting out a sigh of annoyance. I’m a real piece of work. I should be scared out of my mind. They’re going to torture me to make Klaus obey and I’m just sitting here, talking to myself. I should monitor my surroundings, take advantage of this time to survey everything, look for an escape, but yet, I sit here, talking to myself about the very reason I’m in this mess! 

“You’re awake?” I open my eyes and there’s a girl. I flinch away from her but my eyes draw me back. Not because the glow but because I know her. “Mikael wants to see you.” I pull on my cuffs and she laughs.  _ Sam _ . 

I pull again, trying to get free, but all I can do is look at her. “What’s going on?” I ask her, “Why are you here?” 

She comes over and unlocks me from my chair. She doesn’t answer my questions, just pull me up from my chair. “It’s not like you’ll live long anyway.” She doesn’t even bother restricting my movement, just keeps her hold on my arm as she leads me outside the cell. 

We walk into a room and I try to observe what is around me, but it’s all dark and dusty and gray. There is nothing of any importance to note anyway. Just shelves and other doors- maybe a rundown warehouse? I try to keep focused on the path we take, but everything looks the same. 

“Turn,” she shoves me roughly to the right and my shoulder hits the wall. Even when I stumble, doesn’t falter and keeps shoving me forward. Today was really not my day. She pushes me into a giant room, light filtering down through the window at the top. Definitely a warehouse. 

If I didn’t know better, it could be a throne room. A man stands in the center, tall and old, like as old as my mom. Like an older version of Elijah almost. His attire is completely different that the followers who surround him. His suit is a dark blue and his shirt crisply white. I can tell from his air, he is the one controlling all of this. In front of him sits Klaus, on his knees, his head bowed. 

“Welcome, Caroline,” Mikael speaks, his voice is low and old, like gravel, and Klaus’s head turns. His features are softer, than normal, one would almost say worried, yet still there’s the general roughness to him, a sign of unfortunate happenings though there is also an air of determination. He’s not kneeling because he wants to, but because he’s plotting, waiting for a moment to turn the tables. 

I move my gaze back to Mikael, “Why am I here?” I ask, feeling her hand tighten over my arm, but luckily she’s not much stronger than me. He smiles but doesn’t answer me. I know though, I don’t need his confirmation. “You should know that it won’t work,” I tell him, “I don’t matter to him.” He laughs again, a low chuckle, just mocking me, acting like he knows some big secret I’m left out on. He waves his hand and one of the sideline goons stands in front me, blocking me from looking at Klaus or Mikael.

“Why can’t you breathe?” I feel my brow furrow in confusion. Her eyes never leaving mine, borrowing into mine, eclipsing my own mind, her words surrounding me, echoing through my brain. I can’t breathe all of a sudden, I can’t make my lungs expand. My eyes widen with fear, my hands claw at my throat and I feel my legs give out. I can’t stabilize myself and slip, falling. I roll onto my back, trying to get some air into my lungs, to pump blood through my system, to breathe. I see her eyes again, happiness dancing it them- she’s having fun, “Breathe,” suddenly my throat opens up, air traveling through my body, alive- I’m alive. 

But the relief is short lived as the burning rush of oxygen fills my throat, my head spinning be the onslaught of so many glows. I try to grab the power but I’m too disoriented. I can’t even collect myself from the floor. I can’t do anything. I struggle to make my body obey me again. I focus instead on slowly taking in each breath, dragging it in and out. I have to focus, I have to center in and remember that this isn’t my world, this is Klaus’s world, full of torture and pain and everything he is used to but not me, a student from a small town. With my eyes closed and breathing steady, a deep breath in and out.

I open my eyes to see Klaus staring down at me, his expression was hard, scary, and ready to kill. My eyes fly away from him, not ready to think about it, but they only find the girl’s eyes. “Don’t make a sound.” Even my breathing softens. It’s strange this ability she has, everything she says I do without thinking, like mind control.  

“Stop, Kelly.” Klaus’s voice is soft, but I hear the threat in it- he’ll kill her. Kelly just smiles, her eyes shifting from me to Klaus to Mikael, then to me again. Ready to devour me with threats. Why didn’t they warn me about this? Why didn’t they tell me anything about their secrets? Because of Klaus, I’m stuck in this situation and I don’t even know why. For the most part, he’s avoided me, only speaking to me when necessary- no interest whatsoever, I’ve spent more time with his brother than with him at this point. 

She grabs my chin, her hand is soft, something I didn’t expect from someone who like to torture others. “Feel pain.” It’s just a word, yet my body feels like it’s being wrung out. From my toes, the feeling of fire licking them on the outside, burning them and I can’t get away, to my bones, which feel like they are splintering, carefully breaking apart. My fingers feel like someone is trying to break them one by one, but can manage to split the bone right and my lungs, like someone is shoving a torch down my throat, and all I can taste is the embers of ash. The worst part is even if I open to my mouth to scream, I can’t.

“Stop!” Klaus. I can’t yell to release the tension. I feel my body convulse, trying to escape anyway possible but I can’t. My sight blurs. “I told you to stop.” I barely hear him but then everything stops and I can finally scream. Hands cover my shoulders, lifting me up to a sitting position and I feel free and yet trapped. I can’t get the pain out of my head. My body has moved on but that pain, wishing it would end in anyway and yet not even being able to scream once… I flinch away from Klaus, scared of who he is. Maybe this is why they never told me, scared I would react to them like they were monsters. They are capable of death, I know that, I’ve known that. I wasn’t blind to the danger they posed. Everyone in this room is more dangerous than everyone I’ve ever known, combined. 


	9. Chapter 9

I don’t have to look around to know that once again, I lost the hold on my ability. I breathe slowly and everything dims once more. It was so interesting how it became second nature so quickly—but I had always been a quick study, though I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel anything, as my mind wasn’t used to it yet, so it wasn’t completely second nature, I guess. But there is also something relaxing as there were no glows tiring me out either. Oh, this is a mess.

I don’t even know what is going on around me, being brutally attacked in my head one second and the next watching a body fall. Kidnapped for a reason I don’t even know, and all because some nosy brothers intervened in my life, which I was perfectly content with, no matter not controlling the glowing power.

I feel a hand grab me from behind, again, grasping my shoulder and holding me tight. Was this comfort or the start of more torture? My body goes strict, scared for whatever is going to follow what happen… I don’t want to be mixed up in this. I’m just a high schooler and now I’m wrapped up in a vampire mafia war.

“It’s just me,” Klaus. His hand becomes more gentle, softening but still I can’t help it, that fear in my stomach, eating away at me. This whole place is so stressful. I look forward to the old guy sitting on his throne, staring at us intently. I want to tell him that Klaus and I, there is nothing there, but Klaus just proved that he would kill to protect me—something even I didn’t understand. We weren’t in that kind of relationship, we weren’t even friends… I spent more time with Elijah than with him.

I turn my eyes downward and Klaus’s thumb starts rubbing circles into my shoulder, comfort, I realize and then he stands, pulling away as I sit at his feet. He moves in front of me, blocking me from Mikael’s sight. I have many questions, and no answers. My body and mind ache and I really miss my bed with the memory foam pillows and the blackout curtains. So comforting and just home. I find my eyes wondering up Klaus’s body, ending up at the back of his head. Will he hurt me?

“Niklaus…” Mikael speaks and I look toward the old man, now standing with a couple more vampires on his flanks. “Isn’t it time that you give up?” He steps forward but Klaus doesn’t back down, only stands firmer. “You are an abomination and you know why you must die.”

“You made me this way!” Klaus fires back. Anger is radiating off him again. What even is this? What did I get dragged into? Some family feud?

“Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! Who do you have, other than those whose loyalty you have forced?” Mikael’s voice rages on, beating down on Klaus, coming closer to us both. This is the turning point I realize and hands roughly pull me up to my feet, a hand in my hair and one around my neck. I’m surprised I don’t scream, but I think I’m too far in shock that nothing is reaching me, but Klaus…

My eyes find his as the hand in my hair pulls tighter and I wince.

“Caroline,” Klaus starts and I try to force a smile, try to make sense of what hell I am being dragged into by just associating with this art teacher.

“Sorry, hair pulling just isn’t my type of foreplay,” I tell the room, and Klaus manages to break into a smirk but the hand just pulls harder and a gasp comes out. I close my eyes in reflex.

“She’s cute,” I hear and I open my eyes to see Mikael coming closer, “Not what I thought you went for though.” A chuckle.

“He doesn’t,” I manage to get out around the hand pressing down on my neck, “we really aren’t like that.”

“Is that so?” Mikael asks, his voice holding something more threatening than the hands holding me down. Two men rush in and Klaus falls to his knees, their hands forcing him down and I feel a twinge in my heart. Something in between concern and anguish. I feel my body jolt forward and then the pain of being pulled back.

“I’m not the one who forces loyalty, Father,” Father? They’re related? Like blood related? They look nothing like each other. I look in between them. This really is some stupid family mafia war. Mikael makes a motion with his hand, and the person clutching me releases me. My feet want to dart toward Klaus but Mikael intercepts me.

“So it’s not like that, right, dear?” He says, his hand cupping my chin, but not painful yet not delicately. “Yet you’re so eager to help him,” He lets me go and I hear a growl, my eyes finding Klaus’s. “I’m actually shocked, Niklaus—this girl isn’t even crying when faced with death.”

“I’m been expecting to die since I met him, so…” I quip, challenging him. I would choose Klaus over this old guy anyway.

“Caroline,” Klaus growls and I feel Mikael turn his attention back to me. His hand slowly pulling my hair away from my neck. Klaus growls again, almost a feral type sound radiating from him.

“Caroline,” Mikael says and I don’t like my name rolling off his tongue like that. It’s sounds like a snake holding onto a rat for snack time and like hell I’m going to be a rat for him.

“I wonder,” I say aloud and Mikael pauses in his meal prep, “why do you two look nothing alike?” I ask and the room goes quiet—“Oh, is that personal?” I turn my head slowly to Mikael, making eye contact, “Are you sure your wife didn’t… you know, like… step into another room?”

“Caroline,”

“Child,” Both the powerful men in the room address me, one with warning to be quiet before I get killed and the other with warning that he will kill me.

“Is that why you don’t want Klaus to live? I guess I can understand, you know? Like there’s this immortal sign of your wife’s treachery, you know? I don’t think my pride could stand it either.” I tell him in false sympathy. “But one thing I’m really confused about is why am I here?” I ask looking around the room, Mikael’s hand on my shoulder feeling like a heavy weight.

“I didn’t do anything, you know? And Klaus is only protecting me because I hold this really cool power,” I say and Klaus sighs audibly; I look over at him, pretending to be sorry, “Was I not supposed to reveal that?” I ask mockingly. Don’t let the blonde loose, Klaus should have realized that. I don’t take orders, I make them.

“Is that so?” Mikael asks, intrigued and yet his eyes have yet to light up. Everyone in the room is looking at me right now and I see Klaus slowly connecting the dots of what I am doing. He smirks at the ground and I look straight at Mikael. Something is off but I try to put it away, I have to get me out of here and to do that, I must attract the old creepy dude.

“Yeah, but I’m not a witch—it’s some crazy anomaly.” I tell him, stepping away from him tenderly, checking to see if I could. His hand falls as he watches me, wondering what it is exactly that I can do, or maybe what I’m trying to do, and the second I’m more than a few steps away hell breaks loose once again.

Klaus literally dismembers his distracted jailers and Mikael, taking a second to catch up already lost me, his trump card, to the chaos. Klaus reaches me before his father can, pulling me tight against him. I feel his chest rise and fall, probably the lasting human instinct that never dies away. I look to our sides, his hand pressing against my lower back.

“We’re surrounded.” I notice and feel his laugh rumble under my hands.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He quips and I look up at him, his eyes never once dropping to mine, but steadily looking at our surroundings. “Who is the most dangerous in this room, Caroline?” I look at him confused for a moment but then realize what he means. I take a breath and lower my guard, the room descending into brightness. It almost hurts but I fight against it. I study everyone around us and Mikael is the brightest but yet at the edge of my vision, there’s another. I follow the energy of it and it closes around me, dancing over my skin and closing in. I follow it up my legs and over my head, staring back at Klaus in surprise. “Exactly,” he breathes and I slowly put my guard up, my mind trying to recuperate after the raid of light.

“So what’s the strategy, then?” I ask him as we are circled by more minions.

“Attack in any direction and don’t die,” He says simply and I look back at him, a smirk playing on his lips, finding this amusing.

“Oh my god,” I let my head rest on his chest in defeat, “We’re going to die.”

“I just said don’t die, love.” He twists my body from facing him to facing the crows, meaning my eyes meet Mikael’s. He looked downright terrifying. His face contorted by anger and I felt like a corner cat who just wanted to escape by clawing up its owners leg… okay, bad metaphor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know.... I've been tinkering with this story for awhile and still have no idea where it's going. I just wanted to write something Klaroline, so I did and now I'm writing a multi-fic, which is not really in my area of expertise. I usually keep to one-shots/two-shots but I have an idea of what I want to do... so bear with me, please! ^^


	10. Chapter 10

Everything happened so fast after that and all that’s on my mind is run .

Run far and fast, don’t let anyone catch up to you, though that is quite difficult when I’m just a human and they aren’t.

But yet I do it, I run and that’s the only thing in my head right now. I don’t even know where I am, somewhere that’s not Home. A city full of twist and turns. I feel the sun on my head and the cold bites through my ripped clothing. I don’t know how long I was down there for. I was sluggish; my brain barely working but I knew enough. Klaus gave me that look as he got me to the door, blocking other from following me. He could take care of himself, so I had to take care of myself and everything else would follow, he’ll find me and take we can go home.

I hear feet behind me- the old guy’s minions coming for me again; Klaus didn’t take care of them all. Damn it. I am not awake enough for this. I don’t dare look back, My brain is already pulsing with new aches, probably from the stress and glowing and- who cares? Run ! I swing around a corner and into some building, bolting up the stairs.

I wonder if they’re like Klaus. They won’t die if they fall, will they? Only one way to know. I keep going, higher and higher still. My feet never stopping, never slipping- slipping means death and I’m not sure I want to die after all. I’m in pain all the time but I don’t want my life to be over; I have goals, things I want to do still.

I push myself on, my stomach cramping for air, telling me to stop but I go on, pushing open the door and finding myself on the roof. It’s not caged and I feel the wind hit me, and yet I don’t feel it. I’m free, aren’t I? I turn behind me, the door banging open and two minions fall out. One would be enough, you know?

I let my guard drop and feel relief when their glows aren’t that strong for vampires. Definitely not like Klaus. Theirs is softer, way softer. Human soft, violent but not vampire violent- they aren’t as powerful, I think.

“Caroline!” I hear down below. A familiar accent, gruff and full of worry.  I don’t answer back- I know he’ll find me. This situation is far beyond either of our control but I know he'll figure it out. He's smarter than he lets on and in a second, maybe, he’s in front of me. His broad back shielding me as I put my guard up, dimming everything. “Do you trust me?” He asks, the air whirling around us, taking his question with it and I suddenly realize how high we are and how totally stupid he can get, no matter his prowess.

I raise my hands, bunching the fabric of his ruined Henley in them, “I don’t know!” I answer, as the anxiety rises inside me. His shirt falls from my hands and I'm looking at the threatening henchmen, standing around us, reminding me that there is nowhere to go but down. Klaus grabs me, arms around me and we move backwards together. He stops at the edge and his wrist presses to my lips, a warm liquid flows into me.

I try to push his arm away, his plan coming to fruition whatever it is, and I scream behind his arm, as he holds me to him, watching the minions gather on the roof, more showing up as every second passes. I feel tears in my eyes. His blood is a cautionary, I want him to tell me that, that it's only just in case because I never even considered his way of life, it was always just how he and his siblings were and I tolerated that. I didn't want to be part of that world, separated from my friends and family. I didn't want this at all and now my heart is on overdrive and his lips are at my ear, his breath easy and slow-going, “I’m sorry, Love.” It’s hushed and quiet but it’s Klaus.

He takes his wrist away and I openly freak out, coughing and sputtering in his arms and they close in, the minions. He presses his lips against my hair again, “when you wake up, all of this will be over and we’ll be home, okay?” I can’t even look at him for reassurance, though there probably isn’t any to give. The would be captors look at us, confusion registering across their faces, mirroring mine and Klaus turns us, and I see some of the henchmen step forward only to pause, watching us and then my eyes travel to Klaus, my hands gripping his wrists and he holds me by my shoulders. Even he shows to the signs of choices, his eyes checking me over and the worry shows on his forehead. “Let’s go home, okay, Love?” He says, running his thumb over my lips, washing away the blood.

I don't know what's going to happen, but at the same time I do. Whatever plan he has in his head, locked away, is the best he can come up with on short notice, it's the only way out. I can only manage a weak, “I’m not your love,” and he tries to smile as my foot slips, meeting air. My heart jumps in anxiety. So this is his plan, to throw me off and catch me later? Rush down, confuse our enemies and run. I stabilize my heart rate and look at him once more, his face showing so much conflict and I try to trust him with my life; he'll get to me in time, it's high enough that he'll be there. It's one last breath in this eternity and I shut my eyes and I’m flying, no, falling. I didn’t look at him again.

I feel the air glide around me and I can't help but to reach out my hand, try to grab at anything as the freefall warps around me and then pain. Everywhere is like needles stabbing into my skin, pushing out one end and in the other. I'm not sure what happened, but he wasn't there. He didn't catch me. His plan failed and for all his protesting, I died at his hands, the ones that pushed me and the ones that tried to console me. Everything is all at once and I can’t get past the pain, my mind fading beyond my control. I try to open my eyes, barely gaining and my vision is red and blurry.

His hands came too late. 


	11. Chapter 11

"What did you do?!” The angry, shrill voice fades out soon though and once more I’m drifting.

**.**

“When she going to wake up?” I hear, outside of my fading mind, falling once more.

**.**

My eyes struggle to flutter open but the voices surrounding me, I recognize: the three siblings bickering at my bedside. I feel my heart beat— I’m alive . Just that rushes around me like a breath of fresh air.

“Both of you stop, she’s awake.” Elijah says, his calm and authoritative voice echoing around my head. I manage to drag my heavy eyelids up and see his face above mine, checking for something and seemingly to have found it. He sighs and helps me into a sitting position.

As I come to more and more, I’m surprised by the pain in my mouth, the itchiness like when my wisdom teeth had come in. Rebekah steps to the foot board of the bed I’m occupying, looking down at me like I was her broken toy and she is full of disappointment. Klaus rounds the other side, sits next to me, waiting for me to say something.

“Well, she’s your responsibility, Brother. I’m not training her.” She says, flicking her hair over her shoulder, leaving the room with a glare.

“Don’t mind her, Love,” Klaus says to me, worry edging in on his glare with a bit of anger, gold rimming his irises. It dawns on me that this is the closest I’ve ever been to him with the glows surrounding me and yet no headache. I turn to Elijah and am shocked that we can share eye contact for more than five seconds. His glow doesn’t hurt me, either. “What happened?” I ask, my body not sore but my head groggy. My stomach aches from hunger. “I’m really hungry.” I tell them and a sad smile appears on Elijah’s face. Klaus just looks down.

“I know you are, Love.” He says to me, quiet. His voice is calm, there is no playfulness that it usually carries when he is around me. He’s completely serious and that’s really scary. “I did what I had to do. I’m sorry.” I look at him and his eyes bore into mine. I think this is the most serious I’ve ever seen him and the first apology I’ve ever heard from him.

“She won’t be able to go to school for a bit,” Elijah says talking to Klaus and I turn to stare at him, recoiling back from the glow until I realize that there’s no pain from looking at him, if anything he’s actually dimmer. “What should I tell her mom?” He speaks again and Klaus glowers at him.

“Care to join me outside for a moment, Brother?” His voice ringing against my ears, leaving me bathed in confusion.

They both leave the room, Klaus following after Elijah and I reach out, “Klaus?” I ask, going for his hand, to pull him back but they’re gone and I notice a ring on my middle finger, the same ring Elijah wears, a ring set with a blue stone. Daylight stone. I look for them, fear and anger clouding my mind. What did he do? I think back to the rooftop, that moment had passed so quickly. My standoff that didn’t even last a minute, Klaus had gotten to me, he saved me… I try to recall what happened, and remember slowly that I was pushed off a building. I remember Klaus’s familiar glow just on the edge as I fell, cracking every bone and then that was it… “Klaus.” It’s a whisper, falling off my lips in brokenness as the conversation that flew over my head hits me. I’m not training her… can’t go to school… mom… I can’t bite back my anger, my terror. He didn’t even let me choose and now my choice…that’s why he apologized, because he did… tears roll down my cheeks as I realize that I will die or take a life. I have no choice now.

I walk to the door and lean my head on it, their voices easily picked up by me now that I didn’t even need to try to eavesdrop, “I did my best in our current condition.” Klaus says; I let my head fall back, turning so my back is braced against the door, sliding down it. “He can’t find us right now but he wanted her, Elijah, he was going to kill her.” Like that even matters right now.

I can’t be myself ever again. I’ll have to live off blood and desire my whole life. Taking lives like they mean nothing.

I cover my eyes with my hands, willing the tears to cease. They’re hot and angry at Klaus and at the world… and at Klaus. I slide down the door, sorrow filling me up inside because I know this hunger will consume me before the day is over and all I’ll be is a bloodthirsty brain looking for bodies to drain. I won’t see them as people, but dinner. I bury my head in my arms, wanting to just shut down. I should just die. I’ll just die.

I manage to pull myself up. It’s not like me to wallow in self-pity for long and I twist the handle in my hand, moving out to meet them in the hallway, both of them so serious, locked in a staring-war. I’m still surprised I can actually look at them without passing out. “Why?” I choke out. “Why would Mikael kill me?” I ask them and they both turn to me, Elijah acting like nothing has change but Klaus acts like I’m a child, prone to fits, so delicate. “Honestly, I’m not even allied with you.” I spit out in Klaus’s direction, choosing to focus on Elijah, “Why did they take me in the first place?” I’m just an old student of his, nothing existed between us. “Why?” again and again the word tumbles from my lips, and I can’t help losing my pace, falling against the wall and to the ground. Neither one of them comes near me. Klaus even shuts his eyes, walking away from me, leaving me in the hallway with Elijah the aftermath of his mess.

My body begins to ache, the hunger is back. The pain in my mouth is worse though. I drag myself back into the room, my feet moving until I’m in the bathroom, where the mirror reflects horror. My face… in my mouth sit two pointy teeth that weren’t there before, black veins extending down from my eyes, my eyes… I have to leave. I need to leave.

I walk out of the room easily. My feet move one in front of the other, passing by the eldest brother. I need blood. I need to drink. I smell it in the air, the smell I thought I would never name as delicious but it is. I can’t even think about it- I won’t do it. I’ll die before I drink it. I’ll die. I try to pull back, try to will my feet not to go further into the house, to find what I smell but I continue.

“Caroline,” Elijah calls for me, tries to bring me back but I can’t hear him. My emotions keep swinging from one end to the other- hunger, sadness, anger, depression. I don’t even know. My head… this pain is new. Sensory overload, feelings overload. Meltdown . Great. A laugh escapes me, humorless. I’m insane, insane and crazy and hungry. I’m so hungry.

**.**

I look around me, curling in on myself. Klaus in front of me with a wet handkerchief. “Who called on her today?” He says angrily at the siblings in the room, not at me. I feel the cold of the water touch me gingerly and when he pulls it away, red follows. A dark red… blood. I look at him, scared and angry.

“What happened?” I ask him, the glow easily disappearing, not even bothering me. My mind was on his action, as he wiped blood from my face like he was tending to a baby. I look around me and find myself backed into the corner of the couch.

“At least she won’t die from starvation now, Brother, what you were so worried about…” Rebekah laughs mockingly, scrolling on her phone.

“Can you get her out of here before I do something I’ll probably not regret?” Klaus bites out as my eyes wonder back to him, seeing him so clear again, it’s so new to me but it’s overshadowed because I also feel the anger and bitterness toward him, light I'm plugged into an amplifier and only those emotions are present. Klaus, though, focuses on my eyes. “Hello, Love,” he says, his voice annoyingly chipper for someone who just killed me, like he was trying to dissolve an irrevocable situation.

“You turned me against my will.” I hiss, feeling my fangs come out painfully. Is anger a trigger? Because just looking at him made anger pop to the forefront, like I wanted to rip his throat up with my bare hands and feed him to alligators and then laugh in victory. I glare, hoping that he would burn from it alone.

He moves to my hands, “I saved your life.” He insists, trying to help himself, no doubt. Can he even feel guilty? Would that be possible? He was so serious on the roof, in the bedroom and now it was like he was back to normal. How many days has it been anyway? I feel as if I've barely blink and my life has changed in a thousand different ways. I blinked in the morning and was kidnapped, I blinked in the afternoon and was tortured, I blinked in the evening and was thrown from a rooftop, and I blinked in the twilight to a blood-ridden life and it was all at his hands. Klaus.

“You pushed me off a building!” I say, trying to pull back my hand, which he clamps on to, finding my eyes and holding them. He was back to normal, that was for sure, but there was also something else, something more serious inside. Almost as if he had a heart. Ha, wouldn't that be grand. 

“Are you dead?” His voice was gravely, deep. "Completely dead with no life to live at all?" He was quieter. This wasn’t banter but a challenge and I couldn’t wait to take it.

"If that's how you need to comfort yourself, feel free, but I am dead, and now my life that I was living, no matter what I had left to live is gone." I tell him, hoping that it brings guilt and pain. I pull my hand free and get up, moving around him, looking down the the blood soaked clothes, mine from the fall and probably whoever was my poor sacrifice. “I hate you.” I tell him, glaring at his back. His head bends and his shoulders shake and I wondering if he is mocking me and he turns his head, looking at me as if I had told him I’ll beat him at chess. This smart-ass.

“Why?” He says, standing, coming close to me, “I’m quite lovely once you get to know me.” He teases and I want to smack him, kick him, make him a river that runs with his blood. Such violent, heightened feeling that I never thought myself capable of and now they run through me like a torrent, something I'm unable to stop. 

Klaus leaves the room just as Elijah comes back in and I want to yell at him some more, but Elijah spares a glance toward his ass of a brother and then looks at me, and I know that my chance will come again, just not yet.

“Elijah,” I say, more comfortable with the brother who didn’t throw me off the roof.

He waves a hand toward the study, “Let’s talk, Caroline." I happily agree.


	12. Chapter 12

I follow him and we sit, “It’s best if you forgive him now instead of dragging it out.” He leans backs in his chair, smiling at me, like he has a secret I don’t know. I know he means to lift the mood but I’m still bitter and my annoyance level rises.

“I just found that I’m trapped in a life of blood and violence because of him.” I tell him, moving in my chair across from him, uneasy under his steady gaze. “I don’t think what you want will happen anytime soon.”

“Well, it’s going to be awkward for the rest of us if you guys stay moody at each other like some high school teenagers.” He tells me and I actually laugh in disbelief, a laugh the first time since I was put in this hell, still trying to get the image of the cleaning lady out of my head.

“You do realize I am a teenager and a high school student as well?” I ask him, and he blinks for a second then laughs under his breath. I try to take deep breaths and control my feelings, trying to get back some of the focus and decency that won me my position of Student Body President. “But can you at least tell me why Mikael took me? Was it just because I happened to be with Klaus?” I lean forward and he turns serious again.

“Actually,” he starts, and I know he has thought up a lead, “it’s just a theory, but we haven’t been able to track down Sam, the witch who-”

“I remember her.” I tell him, cutting off his theory. It wouldn’t be far off, actually. She was the only one outside of the siblings who knew about me with connections to Mikael. “That would make sense.” I nod in agreement. “Though Mikael seemed shocked when I told him and kept insinuating that Klaus and I…” I trail off, using my hands to make gestures for the words my mouth couldn’t. There were some pieces that didn’t fit into the equation. 

Our conversation is cut short as the door opens and Klaus saunters in.  _ Speak of the devil.  _ “Whatever he planned, Sam is a dead end.” Klaus says and I wonder if Mikael or the sibling killed her, or if she is just a dead lead with no more answers to gained from. He comes and sits on the arm of my chair and I lean away from him, glaring. “And we have a visitor,” he says to Elijah and the elder brother nods, as if he already knows. Klaus turns to me with a smirk, “you’re about to meet somebody you’ll want to murder more than me, Love.” He says, and I continue with the glaring eyes. 

“I really don’t think that’s possible.” I spit back at him and for once I think I see something like remorse in his eyes but it’s too fleeting and he’s up and walking away, leaving me again to stew in these emotions. 

“You’re going to have to face her, Klaus,” I hear from the hallway, Elijah’s sensible voice registering into my ears, “We can’t leave her naive forever.” He tells him and I wonder what he means but Klaus stops him.

“There’s nothing to tell her and she can hear you.” It’s a growl, and a warning. Don’t ask questions and nothing will happen to me. 

“Klaus,” Elijah begins again, but I hear footsteps and know the Klaus has walked away, and I stand and follow the two into the kitchen area where a mystery someone sits, talking animatedly to Rebekah. 

He tilts his head our way, his eyes scanning me last and a bright, mischievous smile graces his features, looking so much like Klaus and it clicks, “How many of you are there?” I ask to no one in particular, but Klaus and Elijah both crack a smile and Rebekah fixes me with a look. 

“This is Kol, the youngest of us,” Elijah introduces as Kol slithers my way. 

“And you must be our brother’s new pet, right?” He asks eagerly and Klaus side-steps, coming in between us, his hand coming to rest on Kol’s shoulder, lips centimeters away from his ear. 

“Watch yourself, brother, or I will cut  _ it  _ off.” He says and we all know what he’s implying. 

Elijah steps in, “she is neither a pet nor project,” he looks at Rebekah, “but she is welcome here so let’s all be civil.” He says, exchanging looks with both the younger siblings, Klaus, and me. I don’t know why me though, I only want to torture one person in this room who is completely deserving of my violent attention.  

Rebekah gets up from the table, moving her hair to fall behind her shoulders. “This house is suffocating.” She glares at Klaus and Elijah, taking her leave through a different door that doesn’t require having to slide by me. 

“Don’t mind her, dearie,” I hear in my left ear and turn, finding Kol’s laughing lips just inches from mine. “She doesn’t like competition.” I feel my eyebrows furrow in confusion and also listen to my brain as it tells me to step away from Kol’s pursuit, going backward and two hands clasp my shoulders as I feel a chest against my back, already knowing they belong to Klaus. Elijah would never be so forward. 

I glare at the hands and pull away from all the brothers, follow Rebekah's path and sentiments, I look between the three men. “I second that.” I say, referring to Rebekah’s remark, knowing that that is the last thing I want right now is to actually agree with the blonde rat, but I do. I walk toward the door leading to the backyard and exit, feeling three sets of eyes on my back, trying to think rationally without being trigger in anger or plans, just wanting to think.

There was so much I still needed to sort out and have explained to me, so much I needed to deal with. Could I even be around humans right now? Would I try to kill Elena or Bonnie? I couldn’t even think of doing that but I knew that I wasn’t in control. Just like with the maid… is was a complete black-out. The thirst overpowered everything else and then I was on auto drive, something inside me awakening. And there the glow… now that I could manage it, did it even matter anymore? Especially since I was dead… technically. It couldn’t kill me with my body always healing and if I don’t use it, well, at least it was something that I could put on the back burner for now. 

I wonder around the yard, the green grass beneath my feet was soft. For now, I’ll worry about my new world, and Klaus, I guess. All I know is that I’m angry with him… past the point of reasoning. Because of him, I lost my life, one I was perfectly content with. I couldn’t see my mom or my friends. I would probably be demoted from cheer captain and student body president. I can’t even plan homecoming. 

The other side of rationality reasons with my emotional side: Klaus was just trying to save me from a much crueler fate, even if he was wrong about it. It wasn’t all Klaus but Mikael as well and the only one we can blame the mess on is in the wind… whether figuratively or literally, I don’t yet know. But Klaus could have shared his plan, at least let me know that I was going to wake up a blood sucking fiend, or share that he didn’t manage to reach me in time, catch me like I thought was his plan. 

I look up at the big white house, shading me from the sun. It looks so homey from the outside, as if it should house the most lovely family that has barbecues every weekend and children are running around everywhere, but even the house lies. 

I think it’s impossible to trust anything now. Even myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and from here... we begin ;) sorry it took so long to figure out where I wanted this to go! Creating chapter stories is not my forte, as to why I mainly stick to one/two-shots but I'm trying!!


	13. Chapter 13

“Can you do it?” Kol pokes my sore spots as I stand in front of the Grill. I can already smell that people around me, pulling strings I didn’t even know could exist, as if they were trying to get me to react.

“I have to if I want to get out that house.” I respond. I had already been cooped up from three weeks, stuck between the Mikaelson siblings, and I was going crazy. I was an only child, my mom was an only child, I didn’t have cousins or aunts. It was a dynamic I wasn’t used to and it didn’t feel like I could get used to the constant squabbling going back and forth.

“What? Is Nik finally wearing you down?” He teases, coming closer to me, “Are you worried about falling for him if you stay near him any longer?” He laughs at his own joke and I move to smack him across the back, but he dances away from my fingertips, moving to the entrance, laughing all the way.

“What is he on about?” I whisper under my breath, following him, wondering if he’s teasing me to distract me. Do I still want to murder Klaus? No, not really as I’ve gotten comfortable in my new skin, but that doesn’t take away that he stole a choice I haven’t even considered and ripped my life away from me. But things have settled into a different dynamic since I entered the Mikaelson household as now an ally, and after the coach around human in a long distance, shorter distance, is now time to see if I can handle a lot in a closed space… I can do this. I can survive this. Kol holds open the door, wiggling his eyebrows, and I walk through, into the crowds of high schooler’s and drunks like Damon, who sits at the bar staring deep into a glass.

“Caroline?” I turn and see Elena, sitting next to Stefan, in her booth, half-raised. “Caroline!” She says again and comes to me, her feet fast and her arms wrapping around me tight. I freeze, scared of the sudden proximity. What if I make a mistake and kill her? I calm myself down and pull away from her, looking at her face and I realize that I’m okay as long as I stay calm.

“Miss me?” I ask, trying to be my old self, which for some reason feels awkward now as if it’s a mask that doesn’t quite fit and I know Elena can tell with her deep brown eyes looking me over.

She fakes a laugh and pulls me toward the booth, while I watch Kol take a seat at the bar, watching me with evaluating eyes. “Is everything with your dad okay?” She asks me and I’m blindsided by the random question, “How much longer are you going to be there?” She asks again and it’s like I’m repeatedly getting hit with a block. _What is she even talking about?_ Is this the excuse they used while I was kept in that house, going through ridiculous training like a little kid?

I slide my eyes over to Kol, who is smirking back at me, and I decide it’s in my best interest if I play along, “I don’t really know, as long as I have too, I guess.” I tell her as Matt brings me a coke. I give him a smile and take a drink, marveling that it’s still as good as it was _before_. “Is Mr. Mikaelson still lurking around?” I ask, as if I don’t know the answer, but I actually don’t really know what he’s up too as he’s been keeping his distance. At first I thought it was to keep me under control, so I don’t break out my fangs and attack, but Rebekah giving lip at every other moment got me used to keeping my head in situation where I got angry, so I learned to control myself even when being poked. I asked Elijah when we were playing with the glow, seeing what I could really do with it, now that it didn’t cause harm to me, but he just evaded the question.

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Stefan pipes up for the first time, “He turned in his resignation, saying he had a better offer from some college in Europe.” He throws his arm around Elena and she nods. _So that’s the story, huh_?

I look around the Grill, happy to be free, even if it’s for a little while. “Caroline?” I look to Elena and she’s staring at Kol, “who is that?” I follow her eye line and find him watching us, getting up, ready to spin the web of lies even more.

Kol has pretty much been my antagonist since Klaus and Rebekah have been in and out of the house, even as my anger has pretty much faded as I have become more at ease being this undead, blood-sucker, especially since blood bags have become a natural necessity in the house, meaning that no killing actually occurs, and it’s not an everyday thing either, more like every few days, a week if you can push it that far. Elijah did say I could try animal blood but that just started a fight between Kol and I. If this is what siblings were like, I think I’m happy I am an only child.

“Hello!” He says in a cheery tone, claiming the seat besides me, sending a wink Elena’s way, “I’m a friend,” he extends a hand, being less of an ass than I’ve seen in the past couple of weeks. He’s always picking fights in the house, with everyone, including me. I guess it keeps the mood from being to tense. Elena and Stefan both shake his hand, though Stefan eyes him warily.

“Oh no,” I look up and see Elena’s eyes fixed behind me. I turn as well, looking into the wolfish eyes of Hayley, gleeful at my return probably. “Why is she here again?” She mock-whispers but I know Hayley can also sense the change in me, her eyes reveal everything. Tyler pulls on her shoulder, trying to guide her over to the pool tables, his favorite spot but she advances even more, staring me down without a word until I speak first.

“What? You want a replay?” I ask and she scoffs, remembering the last time we ended up in a fight on the floor.

“I don’t see your protector here tonight to hide behind.” Hayley sneers, looking me up and down, trying to find the change in me. I wonder if it’s more because she wants another chance to steal the men around me.

“I don’t need to hide anymore.” I tell her, happy that it’s the truth. Although it wasn’t my choice, this new life did give me a few perks. I was no longer dealing with awful headaches, my life wasn’t in critical status, and I could look this bitch properly in the eyes and tell her off. “But you should back down before you get hurt.” I whisper to her, leaning close enough to give her a flash of my new eyes, to scare her properly. To my surprise, she doesn’t back down, but grins wolfishly.

I feel my nerves start to get the better of me, my gums aching. I know I have to get this under control, Elijah says I’m one of the best he’s seen, and that if I can last here for at least two hours then maybe I am ready to go home and I can see my mom and all my friends and be rid of the Mikaelson clan once and for all, maybe but Kol intervenes, his hand clasping my wrist and pulling me away.

“Who are you to grab her?” I hear behind us, Tyler’s deep voice calling out over the crowd, his hand clasping at Kol, pulling us back into the mix and hushing everyone. We both turn back around. Elena and Stefan look at us worriedly, wondering if instead of the cat fight, two boys will turn the place upside down. Kol laughs, letting me go as he stand eye to eye, nose to nose with my ex.

“I’m her boyfriend’s brother, what of it?” He jests and I roll my eyes. Of course he would say that, the little shit. How many times have we fought over this since we’ve known each other? Klaus had barely shown interest in me, staying away from me most of the time to the point even I had thought about seeking him out, though I haven’t. Tyler on the other hand takes on a defensive stance, and I don’t even get why he’s so worked up.

“Kol!” I admonish him. “I’m not-” he waves his hand at me, shutting me up so he can continue his pissing contest. He’s going to start a fight and then blow everything and Mikael will find us again. _This ass hat._

“It’s okay, love,” He says to me, stealing Klaus’s nickname, and faces Tyler down, “I got this.” I close my eyes, a whole new headache coming to me. I pinch the bridge of my nose. If Elijah or Klaus find out about this… I wouldn’t get to leave the house for a month, because of this fool.

“You wanna say something?” Tyler asks in a very aggressive manner. He never did like someone challenging him, even his girlfriend, if I recall. He pounces on Kol, grabbing the neck of Kol’s shirt in his fist and before I can intervene another British accent enters the scene.

“Fighting again, Little Brother?” _you have got to be kidding me_ … I think to myself as he stands beside me, a hand on my lower back, and I just hide my face behind my hand. _Great…_ now I would be known as the teacher seducer, just great. These stupid immortals who haven’t stepped foot into a high school as a student in more than a thousand years don’t understand how precious a reputation is and how easily it can crumble.

Kol shoves Tyler away, who crumbles under the force, falling on his ass, and fixes his collar, “He tried to insult your lady, brother.” He says with a smirk, lying straight to the most dangerous of the siblings face.

“Did he now?” Klaus entertains the crowd and humor his little brother, the youngest to my knowledge unless there’s more hiding somewhere in the world… _probably_. “Well, I’ll defend her if I need too, but I’m pretty sure she can take of herself, don’t you?” He says, beckoning Kol closer and I shift out of his hold, heading for the booth to grab my stuff. Although I was happy that he realized that I wasn't a damsel in distress, I was angry he was acting as if we were close enough to know that about each other. Elena watches me with distrustful eyes and I know she’s pissed at me again. I mouth sorry to both of them and head for the door, ducking past the squabbling brothers and Haley helping Tyler from the floor. This place is cursed, I’m sure of it.

When we're all safely outside, I berate Klaus, “Why are you here?” I turn on Klaus, dragging out a pumped-up Kol. “Where have you been?” I ask him. So much time had passed and I felt my blood pumping, feeling myself up. I look away from him, trying to calm myself down. Why was I getting worked up over this?

“Are you glaring at me, Caroline?” even the way he says my name makes my blood turn. I look back over my shoulder, watching him smirk as Kol walks ahead of us, passing by me with a snicker.

“I’m hoping you’ll spontaneously combust.” I throw at him and he chuckles, not the response I was exactly wanting, but he never does act the way I think. We had been here before, what seems so long ago was only about two months ago. So much change in such a short amount of time.

“You should get to know me, Love,” He jokes, his voice following me as we head after Kol, going slower than our capabilities.

“Like you’d give me the chance,” I mock him and shove my hands into my pockets. It becomes silent between us, the laughter and mockery fading as our conversation heads into unfamiliar territory, a place I’m not sure of.

“And if I did?” Silence stretches and I wonder if he said anything at all even as the words settle between us, my feet stalling as I look back at him, his face earnest for once and I feel my anger falter like an unstable flame.  _What do I say to that?_


	14. Chapter 14

I wander around the house and I can still hear Elijah berating Kol for the scene at the Grill and I can’t help laughing a little. Rebekah has been gone for a little over three days, which brings me happiness as I don’t have to deal with her ever looming scowl, but Klaus is gone again, already. 

Almost a month living with them and it was nothing like expected. I thought Klaus would apologize more, try to get under my skin and then we would bicker like we did but he was gone, maybe seducing women and drinking them dry after various activities. I scoff to no one in particular, getting riled up for no reason at my own daydreams. Klaus was hot, no one would deny it, not even I. 

When I was human, he even made my heart thump but now I couldn’t even try to argue against him with his continued absence. Tonight was the first time I had seen him for more than a few minutes at most and I think about that moment, the cold wind wrapping around us, as we bickered and then the moment of seriousness falling around us, the push and pull that has entered our relationship again, except this time, catching me off guard. 

_ 'and if I did?'  _ His voice comes back to me, his piercing eyes looking at me as I had no answer to give him. What if he gave me the chance to get to know him? I wouldn’t even know what to do with that chance, I think. I had always been involved with guys my age and for me, Klaus was just this dangerous guy with the answers I wanted, and now he’s into me? Well, the siblings were always teasing me about him, so maybe it was only new on my side. But walking with that hint between us, my emotions scattering and shocked, I didn’t say anything, I just kept going, hoping to ignore for another day. 

And yet, I find myself walking into his study, full of canvases and art supplies, brushes that look to be ancient, some in a wood and glass case, probably super expensive and now worth a fortune. I wonder where he is… the most dangerous man I’ve ever met and yet never stayed away from, following him and his brother, just being a foolish high schooler who could handle anything. I keep strolling, stuck in my thoughts, reflecting on the new position with Klaus.

That first morning after the fall, I remember the hot hatred, flashing red all around me. He never even explained to me what happened or why it had to go that way. If he told any of the siblings, I was left out. I let my hand flutter across the paints, my fingertips barely catching on their plastic skin, cold and smooth, my eyes locking on to a sketchbook, sitting on the coffee table next to a chair. I’m curious, I can’t help it. I want to know more, understand more- I admit it. 

Klaus introduced me to this world and left me standing on my own. My fingers skim over the surface of the cover, a simple brown cover hiding hundreds of thoughts in picture form. I wonder what he sketches… bridges and sights from years and years ago? People he had bonded with? What lies inside of him? 

I grow more and more curious as I stare at it, pulling my hand back to not tempt temptation. I shouldn’t get closer to him but further away from him. But my hand reaches out again as my knees bend, settling onto the floor as I pull it toward me. 

I flip open the cover and I stare at a rough sketch of a bench, much like the one in front of the Grill. I smile a little bit, thinking back to our first argument that brought about truths, it happened there. I flip to the next page and am startled to be standing at my profile, my head resting in my hand like I often do when thinking, staring out the art class window. I run my finger over, careful as I can be to not make any mistake. He was good at drawing, very good. 

I turn the next page and stare at myself again, in my cheer outfit in front of a bunch of cheerleaders. There wasn’t a lot of detail in the picture itself, but I knew that was me with my hands on my hips, my hair high in a ponytail as I instruct and guide the others, bleachers decorating the background. I turn the page again and this time it’s just an image of a hallway, nothing particular, a few bodys standing here and there but I don’t know the place. Another page and another, I continue to flip, soon shifting my position to cross legged, feeling to comfortable flipping through another's journal as he documents various moments. 

I appear throughout the sketches, here and there, looking defiant or strong, as he drew me. One of me sleeping on the couch in the main room, my head resting against the back of the couch, hair falling across my face, vulnerable and peaceful. I didn’t even know about these moments he saw, but I knew them in the drawings, placing me outside walking the grounds, to get away from the siblings or the house for a little while, or sometimes they were drawings of places where I couldn’t recognize. I flip again, almost halfway through and I get caught. 

“Don’t you think you’ve seen enough?” His voice floats around me and yet I don’t startle, not even ashamed to be caught. I’m a very curious creature by nature and it’s not the first time I have been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, also, I heard him come this way with my cool new hearing.

“Not yet,” I tell him, keeping my eyes on the sketch in front of me, a wide open space, a house in the distance, something unknown to me. “Where is this?” I ask, pulling my hands away, looking at every point in the image, burning it into my mind, before turning to him, seeing him not angry, but with a little smile on his lips, and he walks over, sitting in the chair behind me and looking over my shoulder.

“England, back in the 1800’s,” His voice is thoughtful as he reaches out, pulling it closer to us both and I scoot back, closer to him. “It was a beautiful house against the grass and trees, standing alone.” He points out certain things about it and I follow his fingers, brushing against the page, gentle. “I don’t quite know why I drew it.” He says, looking at it as if he was trying to recall something that was long lost. It reminds me just how old he truly is. 

I reach out and flip the page, another of me, this time close up, my face pensive. It was a rough sketch, looking abandoned almost but I could tell. I, in the photo, was looking out toward something, my eyes sad. “That’s enough,” he says strongly, and snatches the book away from me and I whine aloud then I can feel the blood rush, my cheeks darkening at my outburst, especially in front of Klaus.

I turn, and  look to him under my lashes, confused and wanting information, “why do you draw me?” I ask him, wondering helplessly. He looks at me for a second and gets up from the chair, putting away the book and motioning to me to follow him out, “Klaus, talk to me,” I ask of him, wondering why I am chasing him after all he’s put me through. I tell him, standing firm just inside of his study, not moving an inch more til I get what I want.

"I'm a thousand years old,” He says, stepping into the hall, his hand resting on the door frame as he turns to me, “Call it boredom.” It’s a lie, I can tell right away and I want to fight him, but maybe it’s because I didn’t give him a chance before earlier and now he’s shut me out again, and I fall into our game, stepping close to him, having to look up and into his eyes.

“I don't believe you.” I say, and he starts, like he was caught off guard by me, and curiosity fills his eyes and my heart thumps and I try to shove it down, that feeling of attraction to him, to the man who stole my life, but I’m also getting over that quicker than I thought with the newfound freedom of this self. 

There air between us is tense, from the moment I came close and I can see him looking for something in me the same way I’m looking for something in him. I know it’s hard this way when I feel closer to him when I was human, his student or whatever, to get closer to him now, but I want to, for whatever reason, I feel the pull towards him.

“Give me a chance,” I echo his sentiments from earlier, “What are you so afraid of?” I ask him, pushing the subject more, trying to get him to open up to me a little once more with something he had purposed in the first place, when he was running now. He looks at me long and hard

Standing there in front of him, I wish I could see what he was looking at so fiercely when he says, “You.” and walks away, leaving me in the study to wonder at what that meant. The air remains thick with tension and unspoken secrets, and I wonder how I was supposed to react to that, what could I do to make him afraid? I can’t match his strength or his prowess- I can barely keep my emotions in line to stay in control. What could I possibly do to him?

“I don’t understand,” I say to myself, alone on the bottom floor of the house.  _ You. _ That’s definitely what he said. I look at the stairs, his shadow gone, closed off in his room away from everyone and I want to follow, ask him what that means but instead I just go to my room, confused by everything suddenly…  _ You. _ What does that even mean?


	15. Chapter 15

“Caroline, focus,” Elijah scolds even though I’m doing fine, it’s just my mind keeps wandering out of the vampire lessons. Today Elijah was teaching me how to manipulate minds, so I would know when Mikael was going to do the same. Mikael had been after them for more than 1000 years and wouldn’t stop till the siblings were dead. He wants to destroy his creations and one in particular.  _ Klaus _ . Now that I had the full story, I felt sorry for him.

“Where’s Klaus?” I ask and Elijah sighs, giving up for today. He looks at me with his face full of annoyance so I put on my best smile, hoping it would make him go easy on me. 

“Why?” He asks, crossing his legs and fixing his jacket, never one to dress down. “Are you still planning his murder?” I see the glint of humor in his eyes and I mock laugh back at him

“No, I’m over it.” I tell him, getting to my feet and grabbing a trinket off his desk to mess with, “He said something to me last night and I just wanted some clarification,” I try to be nonchalant but I still peak out of the corner of my eye to see his reaction. He still just looks amused, “Look if you aren’t going to help, then don’t.” I give up quicker than I thought but I don’t like the way he’s looking at me, like I’m a girl nursing a crush because I’m not, I’m just curious. “I don’t care about it anyway, I was just curious.” I tell him, putting the trinket down and walking out of the rooms, ending lessons early. 

“I bet I can help,” I hear and turn around, seeing Kol leaning on the wall just beyond the door, smirking like he has all the answers in the world. 

“I said I didn’t care,” I tell him, knowing he heard my original question and now wants something to pass the time and get on Klaus’s nerves. “We don’t have the same goals either,” I smirk right back, taunting him, “so no thanks.” I turn to go back to my room and hear him whistle behind me as he turns a different direction. Was I intrigued by his proposition, yea. I know he could get answers but everything comes with a price and also, I don’t trust his ways. He’s wily, like a snake, ready to bite the first person he comes across and not let go.

I continue up the stairs, ready to lay down and wallow in my thoughts when Rebekah intercepts me and I feel like screaming. She looks at me with distaste and I return the favor wholeheartedly. “A word, Caroline.” She says and I know it’s more of a command then an offer but I follow her just the same. Better to get it over with then prolong it. 

We enter her room, her open closet door leading me to see centuries of fashion choices, though her bedroom was impeccably clean, not that mine was messy but I didn’t bother to pick stuff up always or make my bed everyday. She sits down in a chair and offers me the seat next to it, and I take it. I have seemed to be destined to this family, making my way to each other them since early in the morning with Klaus. 

We sit like that for a few minutes, her eyeing me up and down while I stare at her, wondering just what she wanted with me. “Elijah says I need to make peace with you.” She says to me, evaluating my reaction.

I raise my eyebrows, “You’re the one who has the automatic dislike, so…” I trail off.

“I’m very protective of my family, surely you can understand.” “Though I don’t know what exactly Nik sees in you…”

“Maybe he sees a challenge.” I tell her, defensive all of sudden, with a need to prove that she can’t walk all over me and that I won’t take it if she does.

“So you are interested then?” She perks up, a playful smirk on her lips, like she has the best bit of news that could turn the world end over end. “In my brother, I mean?” She clarifies and I’m almost scared to answer.

“You mean Klaus?” I ask her, wondering what exactly I’m admitting and what she is looking for. I have never thought about Klaus seriously like that, in that way. At first it was a compromise, a way to find out the secret behind my sight, though it’s pretty useless now and he was my teacher, I couldn’t touch him if I wanted too, though I doubt if anything happened it wouldn’t have stuck. Then I was so angry at him that if felt like I could see red and all I wanted was his blood spilled on the floor, his head rolling to my feet, but then something changed. He was gone more often than not and I got curious about what he was doing, who he was meeting, and the anger faded replaced by the want to be closer to him, to see who he really was and look past all the bad.

“He can be a lot sometimes,” Her eyes hold a million secrets, some which I want to know and others that I’m afraid of digging to deep. “And he doesn’t always ask for permission.” She follows with, looking at me kind of sadly, and I wonder if he has subdued her as he had killed me, just following his own plans. 

“He did kill me, although, weirdly I’m better off,” I quip and she almost laughs, her lips twitching upwards in the knowing tell. I smile in return, happy to finally be connecting with the only other girl in the house. 

Rebekah nods as if she can read my thoughts and straightens, turning her body towards mine, “I won’t promise to treat you like a sister or whatever Nik is thinking,” she tells me and I almost laugh at the craziness of her assertion, as Klaus would never think of me in that light, but yet something must be going on for all of the siblings to think this way. In times like this, I miss Elena and Bonnie, who would help me sort this stuff out. “But I’ll call a truce, at least.” She extends her hand to me and I take it, happy to have one less of an enemy. It will also help to have all the siblings on my side should Mikael come for me to use as a pawn. 

She lets my hand go and nods to her door, “You may leave.” She says, taking back her air of authority and I can’t help but roll my eyes but I leave nonetheless, wondering if Elena would text me back. I wonder if I could get out for the evening to meet my friends… I could try if nothing else. I need people to talk to that are devotedly on my side.

**.**

A week later as the weekend set in, giggles erupt around me as I sit on Elena’s bed, both her and Bonnie welcoming me back with open arms. Elijah had pardoned me, saying that I was free to leave the house at my ‘own leisure’ as he so put it and that I just needed to make sure I was in control so I didn’t hurt, or kill, anyone close to me. “How’s your mom doing?” Bonnie asks me and I look at her quizzically, “Hasn’t she missed you since you left for your dads?” Ahh, the cover. 

“I’ll see her tomorrow afternoon before I head back.” I tell them, fully intending to do that. I missed my mom so much now, especially when I was looking at eternity without her. She was all I knew growing up, so strong and fierce. Brave in anything she faced. 

“So, tell us about you and Mr. Mikaelson.” Elena switches the topic and I fall onto her pillows with a groan. “So there is something going on!” She pounces, connecting all of her loose dots even though she doesn’t know much of anything.

“I don’t know.” I tell her, and Bonnie watches on happily taking joy by living through my misery. “I never thought of him that way, you know? He was just a teacher to me.” I tell them, unloading my burdens. “And then I… left for my dad’s, and ran into him up there,” I fix the story making it seem more believable than what has really happened.

Bonnie leaned in closer, “what happened next?” I laugh and give her a light shove and more giggles followed before getting serious again.

“We got in a fight actually,” I tell them, “I couldn’t stand the sight of him at all for a while but I got close to his siblings through it,” I tell them and a light bulb goes off for Elena as she snaps her fingers, “Yea, at the Grill, that was Kol, Klaus’s brother.” I tell her, confirming her theories.

“Wait!” Bonnie yelps, “Klaus? Are you guys on a first name basis now?” She asks and I roll my eyes playfully. 

“Anyway,” I say, going back to the story, “All of his siblings keep saying things like he does it for me or that he thinks of me differently, that there’s something going on between us, they keep hinting at it,” I talk with my hands, gesturing to what isn’t there.

“And Mr. Mikaelson?” Elena asks.

“I’ve barely seen him at all; he’s kept his distance since our… fight,” I tell them, “but last night, I found his sketch book and there were a ton of drawings in there of me.” I tell them and Bonnie laughs, the romantic in her taking over.

“Older men are definitely better,” She says, grabbing on to my arm while Elena shakes her head at Bonnie’s interjection and I know Elena is more than content with her high school romance. I laugh though, unable to get over Bonnie’s man craze.

“But I’ve never thought of it at all.” I tell them, calming down. “I just thought that they were nonsensical but now… I’m curious, you know.” I say aloud finally, looking to them for answer, admitting my interest in Klaus. It’s not like I had never been attracted to him, I remember at some moments he made my adolescent heart thump in nervousness… but to admit that to a temper-tantrum throwing, 1000-year old, child who avoids problems and issues instead of dealing with them? I groan and throw myself into Elena’s pillows, looking to her for guidance.

“I think that maybe you should look at it seriously and think about him in a more romantic light,” Elena offers up, “and maybe he’s been keeping away because he wanted to give you space and also not get his hopes up, especially if he feels like it could never happen.” She reasons and I remember then why I love Elena so much, why a ton of our friends open up to her and count on her and it’s because she has this crazy strong insight, always able to tell us practically and yet somehow arrange it into what we want to hear.

“I agree with Elena.” Bonnie says, “and it’s not like you’re breaking any rules now either,” she grins from ear to ear mischievously and I can’t help but to shove her again, wanting nothing more than to got back to this simple teenage life. 

“It’s strange you know,” I tell them, “my life changed so suddenly and yet I don’t mind it now,” I watch their expression change to confusion as they don’t get exactly what I’m saying but soon it doesn’t matter because we start yawning, comfortable in Elena’s room on a Saturday night, where the sun will wake me and I’ll have to go back to my life of being a vampire and being hunted just because of association but I’ll deal with that then.

**.**

“You let her leave?” Klaus voice echoes around the house, load and angry, “Do you realize the danger she is in, Brother? The whole reason she’s stays here?” He squares off with Elijah in the kitchen. I carefully come in, wanting not to turn Klaus’s anger on myself and also curious as to his anger’s source.

“I am aware, Niklaus,” Elijah shoots back, his voice calm yet the was a subtle threat behind it. I drop my defensive and see Klaus’s glow still over power Elijah’s, before pulling it back, “but there is currently no danger.” He says, shifting away from his younger brother.

“Has Father quit searching?” Klaus fires back sarcastically, “Have we located the traitorous witch?” He says and Elijah just stand quietly taking it, though I’m positive that he is that only one who could go hand for hand with Klaus. I watch as he comes up to Elijah again, “If she is harmed, you will not be spared, Brother,” he practically spits at him, the words fast and harsh and I’m offended for Elijah, knowing they were speaking of me, but Elijah smiles.

“Look to your left, Brother.” He tells him quietly, his voice no more than a whisper off the lips, but I could hear him clearly and I find my eyes holding Klaus’s gaze and watch relief wash through them, his shoulders dropping as all the tension drains. He looks down and I hear him let out a breath before walking past us both and out the door, leaving me to look to Elijah. He comes toward me, standing side to side, facing opposite ways as he looks after his brother and I towards him, “Don’t worry, Caroline,” He tells me and though I don’t even know what I am to be worrying about, I watch him as he closes himself in his study, and turn to look at the doors Klaus had just left out of. 

_ What happened since I left? _ I was only gone for a night, not even a full twenty-four hours at now the brothers are at each other's throats? What, I was such a flight risk or is it the fact that I’m still a newbie that I can’t protect myself? ...or is it that he was scared for me? I let myself entertain that thought, wondering if I actually do mean something more to him then a new responsibility. 

I drop my bag in to foyer and follow Klaus, wondering if he was still outside or if he had left for the day, doing something that I wasn’t allowed to know. I open the door and look around, seeing him standing on the porch, hands gripping the rails I’m surprised I don’t see them splintering. “Klaus?” I say aloud, walking towards him.

“Hello, Love,” He says, turning to look at me, crossing his arms across his chest, staring down at me as if I’m the funniest thing he’s seen in a while. I advance on him as if I was courting a scared cat, careful of every step I make but he moves first. I look up, his face so close to mine, his eyes showing two different sides and so green, but aged with time. I jolt for a second and his hand clasps onto my arm, and I stutter, my eyes finding his again, as my balance comes back to me. "Don't worry, love. You know I'd never hurt you." His voice is velvet yet there’s more to it, something being hidden, something I know I want to grasp and bring to the surface but am to scared to act. He lets go of me and backs away. 

"You've done enough." I tell him, my voice wavering but serious. I come toward him, standing by his side, looking out over the property. "Isn’t time you be honest?” I push back.

“I saved your life, twice.” He stares evenly at me, just turning his head. “I don’t need to take orders from you.” He pushes past me, heading for the stairs.

“Only because you put me in danger twice, need I remind you.” I chase his footsteps, making sure he doesn’t get far from me. 

He turns back around and I know I’ve hurt him just a little bit. “How honest would you like me, Caroline?” My name rolls of his tongue like poison invading my veins. 

“Never mind,” I say, pushing away from the stairs and this conversation. He wouldn’t tell me anything anyway and I was probably crazy. Even if he did like me, he had done so much bad in his life, he always warned me that he wasn’t a good guy. Had I forgotten he threw me off a roof just to get away from his father?

"I've done more than enough,” he calls out behind me, and my hand pauses on the handle, the lock clicking over. “I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity,” He lists off and I turn my head, looking over my shoulder at him, standing at the base of the stairs and it’s like a whole new puzzle to put together from him. “because of you, Caroline.” I turn my body toward him following my eyes as he retreats, walking at a slow pace down the road.  _ You _ . There’s that pesky word again that he keeps dropping, telling me that it’s me that changed him.

“You realize that means nothing if I don’t understand it,” I say after him but if he hears me, which he I know he can, he doesn’t show it.


	16. Chapter 16

I lay in bed, thinking over the things that have happened since I met Klaus and the Siblings. My entire world has been thrown topsy-turvy and here I am trying to figure out if I have feelings for the moody vampire? After everything he has done? To me? To my life? He barged in without warning-- okay there was a little warning but oh, I should have stayed away from him. I bang my head against my pillows. His glow was intense to the point I could pass out and yet I was led as if his words were sugar and I was a starving horse. I should have stayed so far away and never given any glance toward him and I would… still be counting down limited days, but I would have been surrounded by the ones I love at least instead of kept in solitary so I didn’t kill them because of stupid Klaus.

 _Kindness_ ? How had he showed kindness? By saving me? He threw me off a building and changed my molecular level? _Forgiveness_ ? To who? _Pity?_ How does he expect me to understand any of this with no answers in return? He leaves me with the barest of clues and no hints, no help to finish the race. And where is he now? I roll over onto my stomach, glaring at my closed bedroom door, even though he would never walk through it. _It’s been two days._ I turn back onto my back, restless. _Of course he wouldn’t stick around. He was to consumed by his own self hatred to let anyone in and why would he want me anyway?_ I fume on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

None of the siblings were telling me anything, unless you include Kol’s jabs at a lover’s quarrel. I bet they just think I’m a just a cheerleader from a small town who has never been anywhere or done anything other than winning Miss Mystic Falls, and sure, it’s not that off from the truth, but I’m really smart as well. I have numerous spelling bee trophies and I had excellent grades in all courses. To Klaus, I was probably no more than a hindrance, right? At least until he told me differently, until any of them told me differently.

 _Enough!_ I yelled at my petty ego. The only way for things to change are to change them yourself. If Klaus wanted to sulk, let him, but I will not be made a full of just because I’m the newbie trapped so I don’t ripped people’s throats out. It’s not like I don’t have a handle on it- it was Kol who went off the handle, not me.

I march down the stairs and toward Elijah’s study, completely ready to just barge in and ruin his concentration but I hesitated. I know that I don’t want to be a hindrance and I don’t want everybody worrying for my safety anymore, either. I gather my courage and I knock on Elijah’s door, hearing his hum of assurance, I grasp the knob, turning it to let myself in. “What is it, Caroline?” He asks, not looking up from a book with yellowed pages and faded wording.

“I want to help.” I say simply, taking a chair and watching his lips shift, “Tell me what I can do, please,” he looks up at me, folding his hands together, “I’m really smart,” I tell him of my grades and that I can read French and Latin as he appraises me.

“I do need to follow up on a lead,” He says and I don’t follow his meaning but he explains graciously, getting up and coming closer to me, his hands in his pockets as he leans against his desk and I’m very sure Elena would find it attractive but to me, it’s like how a teacher is supposed to be, a true mentor. “Klaus has been searching for leads on our Father’s whereabouts since you two were attacked.” He says, “and we have on the authority of some now dead vampires that Mikael has found a way to kill us off, which we want to stop,” I follow him word to word, the shock coming to me simply because to kill the originals would kill us all, which would be Mikael’s plan to wipe us all out.

“I found a library, just outside of New Orleans, which houses books from Wicca cults, about how to destroy us and Mikael but there’s other leads to follow as well with tracking down Mikael,” Elijah looks to me, seeing if I have caught on to his meaning.

“So you want me to go to the library and find what the books say?” I ask him, “Alone?” He shakes his head and I groan, “Please don’t send me with Kol because I truly believe the library, which you are so curious of, may be destroyed if I am alone with him for more than thirty minutes.” I tell him and he laughs, looking at me like a brother would, I assume.

“You sound like Rebekah,” he jokes and I want to glare at him for comparing me to her, but I know, coming from him, it’s a compliment… if it were Kol, I would probably dismember him. “Very well, then.” He says, bringing me back from my violent fantasy, “I’ll send you with Rebekah, then.” I don’t hate it as much but we’ll probably get more done as talking to each other is not our favorite.

**.**

“Sorry, Elijah,” Rebekah says, not really that sorry, “But I have a dance to plan,” she throws a smirk my way and I glare in return. It was no secret that she had infiltrated the high school as a student, at Elijah’s request to watch over people with relation to me because of Mikael, but little did I know that she had taken over my spot in the school, even dating Matt, according to Elena’s very detailed report last night. _Oh, poor Matt._ “Send Kol,” she offers and I know she’s playing around. We might have a truce in the house but we weren’t going to become friends overnight.

Elijah starts to explain something when the front door swings open as Klaus returns. I can tell just from the sound of his gait and the smell off his skin. I peer around the kitchen island to see Klaus make for his bed room, red dripping down his neck to stain his collar. I quickly turn my head toward Elijah and see him watching Klaus back as well and the gears turning behind his eyes, but before I can even interfere, worried by the prospect of spending _that_ much time with Klaus alone with the new information swirling around my head that might be true or might be false, it’s arranged and Elijah has gone off, following his younger brother.

**.**

We all gather in Elijah’s study. Klaus is blood-free, a fresh shirt and showered hair, Rebekah files her nail, sitting on Elijah desk, as it there was no standing room. Kol lounged in the chair next to me, more interested in his phone than the words coming out of his eldest brother’s mouth. I sit up straight, still angry at Klaus and not trying to hide it, and I pay attention. It was the first time I was included and I wasn’t going to mess it up. If I wanted to be taken seriously, I would earn it, showing I’m more than just a blonde with flexible joints.

Klaus stares at me in silence as he listens to Elijah, and I don’t give him the dignity of a glance, ignoring him for the entire time, not scared in the slightest of Klaus. I have nothing to fear from him, but I am worried of what this trip could do.

“You’ll leave soon,” Elijah tells us, handing a pair of keys to Klaus and sparing me a glance, “Are you sure, Caroline?” He asks me, making sure I was ready to handle this. I nod, putting on my most serious face.

“It’ll be easy,” I tell him. We’re just going to look through some ancient library that has super powerful book if placed in the right hands. Elijah gives me a bare smile before nodding, and shoo-ing us out, asking for Klaus to stay behind. I look behind me, watching Klaus head for some papers on Elijah’s desk, as Elijah shuts the door on us.

“Don’t bother, the room is hexed.” Kol says lazily, heading for the stairs and turns to me when I don’t respond. “You know, like vampire-soundproof,” I look at the door and strain my ears but the only thing I hear is Rebekah on the phone, planning a styling meeting. “Both his and Nik’s study are guarded, except when the door is open,” he winks.

“Obviously,” I fire back, leaving the hall for the kitchen, my throat itching, though in annoyance or just hunger, I don’t know.

“Are you curious?” Kol follows me, and I nod, wondering what type of secrets are stored up in his useless head. He grins, sliding into a seat at the island. “It’s the lead on Sam, the witch who ratted you out.” I plunge a straw into the blood bag and sip as if it was a Capri-sun that I used to drink in elementary school.

“They found her?” I ask, and Kol laughs.

“Why do you think Klaus was all bloody when he returned?” He takes out his phone, tapping out a text or something before looking at my surprised face, “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Caroline?” He asks me, hopping down, his phone suddenly ringing, “you’re family and Klaus is only loyal to family,” he says, the most serious I had ever seen him and he presses the phone to his ear, answering someone on the other end. _Family?_ I let the word run around my head some and try to figure it out.

Klaus killed Sam tonight for me? Because I’m family? Is this the kindness, pity, and forgiveness that he shows because of me? I walk out into the hall with my vampire capri sun and stare at the closed door housing the two brothers and then I make for Klaus’s study, the door open. He has nothing to hide from family, right?   

I step inside, the easel showing a new painting, something dark blue and lonely. It wasn’t even finished and gave off powerful feelings- he was a genius when it came to art, I suppose. I tear my eyes away, looking around for the journal, wondering if more drawings had shown up that could give me insight to his feelings _of me_ , even if I was left more confused it didn't matter. But Klaus is over a thousand years old, I think as my eyes look at the shelf where the journal sat. He's been around for so long and I'm certain I'm not the first to draw his eye.  _If he drew me, did he draw others?_ I think suddenly. Were there tens of thousands of journals with a girl staring out, forlorn and love-sick? I was no one to him that lived a long life and he had to have lovers, he was ancient. There was no way he was celibate for all that time, not with his charms.

I back out of the room, upset by my own thoughts. I didn’t want to see if there were others, to know he had fancied someone else in his time. It irked me to even suppose it.


	17. Chapter 17

_ ‘Turn right in one-fourth of a mile _ ’ the GPS commands from the console and Klaus’s hand tightens around the wheel. I didn’t even get the choice in driving, though I have a perfect record. Klaus had taken control from the second Elijah had asked him to go look into the library with me, as Rebekah has her school duties to control. I should be worried how I’m going to graduate at this point but with all our heads on the line, that doesn’t seem like an issue anymore. I'm still a little peeved by the thought that he has a love lost in time, but I'm not jealous. Caroline Forbes does not get jealous.

“How’s your head?” It’s random and it scares me that I jump. I turn to look at Klaus, who is holding back laughter and I glare in return. 

“Fine, I guess.” I tell him. It’s not like we have Sam to do her witchy thing and I’m no doctor. 

“It doesn't…” He trails off, looking for the words he wants to ask me, “hurt anymore?” He decides on and I think he’s worried for a moment.

“Not since I woke up a vampire.” I tell him, looking out the windshield to the road before us. “I could sort of control it in a way, I don’t know if Elijah told you.” I go on, wondering if this was the first time we had actually talked about the reason we came together. “But I know how to pull it back but I made me more tired the longer I did it, but it became second nature pretty quickly.”  _ Not that it matters now, _ I add on silently. 

“He told me,” Klaus replies, nothing more than that and the car goes quiet again. 

**.**

I look at him from the side as we head into Mississippi. I never knew I could be quiet for this long, honestly. The sun had long set and the highway was cast in moonlight. “Are we getting off?” I ask, wondering if we were going to rest instead of keeping on with the trek.

“Not really,” He says, pulling toward the off ramp, “The car is hungry,” it’s like an afterthought but it explains why. 

It takes ten minutes at most and I run inside, getting coffee for the next few hours. It hits me that I don’t know if he drinks coffee or not, there’s a lot I don’t know about him. I pull out my phone, setting down my cup and dial his number.

“Caroline,” he answers. I can hear something behind his his voice, as if I’m entertaining, as if he’s trying not to chuckle. I wonder if he thinks this is funny.

“I forgot to ask if you wanted coffee,” I tell him, seeing him through the glass walls, leaning against the car, one arm lazily sitting across his chest, his head turning, his eyes meeting mine.

“Please,” He says and from here I can see a corner of his lips edge upward, “black, one cream.” I nod and click off first, his head turning away to watch the rising numbers. I think my heart stutters but I’m confused to the cause.  _ Black, one cream… Klaus likes coffee _ , I think to myself, a little smile forming as I stir it in. 

**.**

The coffee is cold now, the night deeper than before. I remember talking on the phone to Tyler once really late at night. It had to have been about 3 or 4 in the morning as we told each other secrets. Nothing good comes of conversations late at night. The window is cold against my forehead and I can see his reflection through the glass. It’s best not to talk right? He doesn’t seem inclined to talk anytime soon, anyway. 

“Caroline,” Or not. His voice is rough and I know I should be annoyed with him. I’m angry at him, at Klaus who has lied to me and ignored me. He keeps secrets from me, about him and us, if there is such a thing. He’s been ignoring me like a virus that he can’t separate from. “Caroline.” He repeats and I lazily look at him like it’s my time he is wasting. 

There’s no reason I should cave to him, even if I bought him coffee, so I look at him with the least bit of interest. I wonder if he’s different, that who I thought he was is not him; that what his siblings keep teasing is not true. He shows the barest interest and it hurts my pride a little bit. I wonder if I’m stupid for entertaining ideas of something else, after all, he was not a good guy. If anything I have learned about him through Kol or Elijah told me that much, though I really don’t think Kol is much better. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks, looking worriedly over at me, taking his eyes off the road for a second before turning back to the grey asphalt. 

“Nothing.”

He clears his throat, “I just thought we should talk,” He pauses, “about things.” His words are ominous and I wonder if Elijah had scolded him when he was telling him about the trip. It’s not like I could listen in.

“Did Elijah tell you to talk things out?” I wonder truthfully. Elijah is always telling me to smooth things over with Klaus as if we were two children who had an argument in the sandbox-- but how can I when he won’t even give me the chance? And why do I have to be the one to settle? Klaus is way older than I am. He should be more mature than me, he should be the one taking the high road. 

“I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you,” He says, his words paced, like they were said through gritting teeth. 

“And I’m trying to avoid it,” I fire back.

I know I’m frustrating him which could only make matters worse but I want to make them worse, so bad they explode and all the answers are laying at my feet with nowhere to hide, but I also know that’s really childish. “Because of you…” his words are slow but gentle, like he doesn’t know what he wants to say but knows he has to say something. 

I peek over at him, curious and his brow is furrowed, a frown decorating his face. “Because of me, what?” I ask him. Why am I playing his games? Why do I care about him at all? I want to keep the feeling of my feathers ruffled, but much more is the answers he has, something I couldn’t possibly imagine. I want to know if he’s finally going to actually let me get close to him as I try my hardest to stay mad at him. 

“Nothing.” He stops before he even begins. Push and pull, I realize. Over and over we have this conversation without anything coming to light. I watch his face change, showing an inner struggle as if he is trying to decide to say something, “Thought you might not even realize it, but it’s because of you, Caroline.” 

“You’re speaking in riddles,” I tell him as he spares a look my way. His eyes tell me that he’s lost in some memory. 

His eyes go back, and again, more riddles spill out of his mouth. “There's a whole world out there waiting for you. Great cities, and art, and music…” He says, relaxing and tensing his hand against the wheel. He speaks to me like I’m a child who doesn’t realize the potential of my future. “ _ Genuine _ beauty.” He stresses.

“Okay?” I’m confused with what he’s saying, how it matters right now. He glances at me and I stare at him, wondering if he has a whole speech planned or is just saying thing off the top of his head.

“What I mean,” He shifts on the blinker and pulls to the shoulder, turning to look at me fully, “there’s more to life than our family issues,” he points out, “and you’re no danger to anyone anymore, no matter what my brother says.” He rolls his eyes and relaxes in his seat, turning to look up front, away from me. “You can go.” 

“What do you mean go?” I ask him, “You say that like I’m being kept against my will.” He laughs without humor. 

“Just a thought.” The conversation dies like that, with a joke and he’s back on the road. Silence radiates around us and I wonder if we’re going to spend hours in silence once more. 

“And if I do go?” I ask, wondering what he’ll say. “What about my mom and my friends?” I ask, wondering how they would be safe. It’s not just the siblings who are in danger. I’m in danger, by association, by interest. “I can protect myself but I don’t know if I can protect everyone.”

“We’ll protect you.” I want to trust that, to believe that if I left they would do that, “Rebekah is at the school, Kol likes the Grill,” he explains and then I wonder about him. Would I see him again if I left? My eyes tilt over to him and I can’t imagine a world without the turbulent man in it even more. I don’t know even when this feeling began, how he snuck in when he was never around but he did and now I’m here. 

“And you?” I ask, and he spares a glance at me. 

“What’s that matter?”  He takes a drink of his cold coffee and I wonder if we should stop again.    
“You’ll be safe, you have my word on that.” My heart skips hearing those words come out of his mouth, he must care if he wants me safe right?

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” I say, “I won’t leave.” 

“We’ll still protect you.” He says, and the way he says it has me curious of him again. I want to ask him, but I can’t bring myself to do it, not when we still have three hours in the car. 

**.**

“Why can’t you just tell her?” Rebekah says on the line. I’m inside, filling up two cups with coffee and he’s outside, his phone glued to his ear. I shouldn’t be listening, but I want to break the tension between us. I want to go back to how we were once, comfortable with each other. Maybe friends…

“Bekah,” he warns, casting a glance my way and I pretend to not be able to open the creamer.

“I just don’t get it. It’s the perfect time!” She pushes, “You’re alone together for a few days-- enough time to-”

“I’ll ask you to stop once more, little sister.” His voice is laced with warning and he walks further away, trying to get out of my earshot but he’ll have to go a lot further than that. “Nothing is going to happen. We’ll finish this and then put her back in her life that she wants to go back to.” I look up, staring at his back.  _ What…? _ Should I be angry that they plan to leave me after Mikael is dealt with or surprised that he cares about that… that I might want to go back to my life, if that’s even possible. 

“Nik, please put everyone in this house out of our misery with your moping and shag the girl!” Kol’s voice. 

“You two are insufferable.” Klaus says, his hand rubbing his temples, trying to erase the headaches. “It’s not like that. She’s not like that.” He says, casting a glance back at me and in my speed to act like I’m not listening, even though I’m blatantly staring, I hold up his coffee and switch between one finger or two, acting like I’m confused by his creamer count. He holds up a one and turns back around.  _ Safe.  _

“Come on, Brother,” Rebekah comes back on, “Just tell her the truth.” I look out again from the corner of my eyes as I snap the lids on. 

“You know, that you been in love with her since she fell at your feet!” Kol laughs on the other end and I feel my pulse quicken in speed.

“Tell Elijah we’ll be at the library in an hour.” He clicks off as I head for the register. 

The bell dings and he strolls in, his wallet in his hand. “Don’t worry, Love. I got it.” He doesn’t look at me, his voice is shut down, no real concentration behind it but I just stare at him.  _ He didn’t deny it. _


	18. Chapter 18

It’s very quiet and not really the comfortable kind. I look up from the text, to Klaus standing a few feet away browsing the shelf, trying to find the book that will give us the key to killing Mikael first. He ignores my presence for the most part, ever since the phone call, only talking to me when we need to move on, either to another shelf or a different building altogether. The sun has yet to rise.

It’s more insufferable since I have many questions. Thing I talked about with Elena and Bonnie, that there was a chance that I liked him, but he was so much older and why would he even look at me like that… _ you been in love with her since she fell at your feet.  _ It echoes and echoes and I look at him, his fingers trailing through text, how he said nothing in rebuttal.  _ Did he think it was useless to try against those two? _ Even I give up in sparring against them, it’s useless. But… it edges my mind, but what if he said nothing because there was something to it. 

I want to know about  _ his  _ feelings, somehow carried through the grapevine but somewhat clear now but all I can do is stare at his back, his frame tight with tension, scared for himself and his siblings and I am too. That’s what we should be focused on, what I should be focused on. I try to look at the text, reading through the Latin phrases but my mind swims and I know I need to figure this out first. 

_ We’ll finish this and then put her back in her life.  _ Is that why he keeps away from me? Because after this is done, they’ll move on and so will I? No matter how much I want to go home, to live with my mom again and sit in class with Bonnie and topple Elena from cheer captain, I couldn’t anymore. I had two feet in this world and I couldn’t just step back.

“Why aren’t you reading?” His gruff voice echoes in the silent room, and I feel shivers run down me, a different kind, like I was just caught doing something I shouldn’t and maybe these trail of thoughts should be forbidden but I don’t want them to be.

“Klaus,” I say and he stills his wandering fingers, not bothering to turn around, “Why can’t you just tell me instead of running around and avoiding me?” I want to know why and what he meant. We once stood eye to eye and he told me that it was me he was scared of and why? Because I could reject him? Because I could leave? It’s such a high school thing, to have to face someone who rejected you and that alone would give you enough reason to back out and try to forget it.

“Caroline-”

“Are you interested in me?” I put it out there, one of us has too. He turns barely, just enough for me to see his face, see the shock register on it by the words that fall out of my lips. And then I see his face change into a mocking mask and he turns on me completely, coming up to my table where all the ancient text lay sprawled. His places his hands, palms down, and leans forward. I have to lift my eyes to properly see him. 

“If you could even begin to comprehend where I’ve come from and what I have done, you would be terrified of me.” His voice is a low rumble, and I know I should be scared, should probably hate him for the heinous deeds he has done but what was so bad about what he’s done? In the name of survival, he lives with higher stakes. Of course by human standards, he’s a monster but I am too now. I look at him and I see something that wants to live and that want of love, to have someone who would hold him when he is scared and to stay with him, to accept all that he is.

"Anybody capable of love is capable of being saved," I tell him, stalwart in my feelings. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, backing off. I don’t think I ever considered Klaus an actual romantical prospect but only because I thought it wasn’t worth considering. He has been around for so long and seen so much, what could a small town girl possibly offer him? But there was a lot we had in common and felt the same towards once I allowed the thoughts. What was wrong in chasing him, honestly?  

“That’s not what it is,” He says, biting his words and moving away from me in every way when I’m trying to pull him back. “You could die again, because of me.” His shoulders drop and I know what he means. What we are fighting isn’t just a troubled dog, it’s a freaking grizzly bear gone mad. The stakes are high and everything could be lost and he’s worried about me in the middle of it… he’s always worried about me since that first moment when I collapsed in front of him, I know that now. I know that from the moment he approached me there was something propelling him. It’s just now I’m actually open to the truth of it. I thought that I was intriguing then, something he couldn’t even fathom and then he got attached to me for some reason, but it’s some beauty and the beast thing… he’s this dark orphan, with a maniacal step-father chasing him down to murder him and his siblings and I this consolation, something light and pure, something he tainted-- but he didn’t taint me. 

I stand up and walk to him, wanting to console his fears, the task at hand forgotten. “Klaus,” my voice is barely a whisper and I lay my hand on his shoulder. I don’t expect him to catch it, hold it there but he does. It’s the first time we’ve willingly interacted close like this, and my breath catches as he holds my hand, every other part of him facing away. “I get it,” I say, “Mikael was your dad and he didn't love you, so you assume that no one else will either, right?” I ask, and the second it leaves my lips, I know I ventured down the wrong path. My hand drops and he’s across the room in a second.

“This is a mistake,” he says to the open room, heading for the door a second later. I want to follow him, but all I can do is sink my back into the shelves.  _ This was not how I pictured it. _ Whenever I’m around him, my tongue messes up and… _forget it, Caroline. Focus._ I turn my eyes to my books and go back to my spot. Klaus will come back later and I can try again to get closer. 

**.**

The Latin phrases swim in front of me, a yawn sneaking out. I look at the windows, the sun rising. Klaus still hasn’t come back. I wonder if he found a bar nearby, if he’ll come back smelling of whisky and blood. I don’t advocate drinking straight from the source, but I’m not an original vampire who has lived for centuries. I am also not the moral police, as Elena liked to call me before I… became this. 

I walk outside, the air clear and the sky bright.  _ Where is he? _ I stretch a bit, before grabbing my phone. Serial Killer, his contact name from before everything happened is still the same. It makes me smile as I call. It goes to voicemail. _Of course._

I call Elijah who answers on the second ring.  “Caroline, did you find something?” He sounds relaxed and I wonder if the house is free of tension with the two of us out here. 

“I’m looking but Klaus disappeared.” I tell him, feeling like I’m ratting out a schoolmate. “We fought and he left.” I explain, Elijah’s sighing on the other end and I want to laugh. Klaus must pull this trick a lot if even Elijah isn't phased or worried.

“I’ll call him, just go back to researching.” He tells me and the line disconnects. I stare at my phone for a second, the flowery wallpaper staring back at me. 

_ Back to the books. _ One of us has to bring something back home.

**.**

I walk to another shelf, getting another handful of texts, exhausted from doing this all night when Klaus was out gallivanting around. Why couldn’t he just talk stuff out? Why did he have to get angry and run out all the time? Did I need to meet a witch who could lock him in a room to get through one conversation? Maybe Bonnie or her grandma? And honestly shouldn’t I be the one running away? I have feelings for a thousand year old murderous vampire prone to tantrums that could possibly end in murder with daddy issues and yet? I slam the books down on the table, the table splinters underneath them, collapsing in the middle.  _ Damn it.  _ I feel a headache coming on.

I didn’t mean to break the table, I didn’t mean to like him, I didn’t even mean to become a vampire wrapped up in all of this.  _ You can go. _ Can I? Can I leave right now? Can I walk out that door and just go where ever I want? Compel my way into 5-star hotels and the most luxurious clothes I’ve ever seen? Get back my 4.0 GPA and compel an entire school that I never left? How can I go? I sit in the chair looking at the sad table as the door slams open, startling me as Klaus’s chest heaves, more from anger I’m guessing than physical exertion. 

"I will not have my hand forced by you or anyone else," his finger points at me, the wide-eyed blonde who is still reeling from his entrance. Should I really be surprised though? His anger should frighten me.  _ Should  _ being the operative word.

“I’m sorry?” I say, standing up away from the broken table that he has yet to notice, my anger rising with his impertinence. 

He walks around me, the room spinning in his anger, “Not my brothers, not my sister, not you!” He shouts and I look around us, even in an empty place like this. 

"What is wrong with you?” I ask him, pushing toward him. Mikael could be tracking us down at this very moment and Klaus wanted to have a melodramatic meltdown? Elijah would tell him to calm down, maybe impart wisdom, but I’m not Elijah and I don’t like what Klaus is insisting either. “I'm trying to reach out to you!” I yell back, his eyes hot with anger, burning into mine.

“Despite everything that you have done to me!” I’m getting caught up his game, I know, but I can’t help it… I’m anxious about his erratic behavior, something is off about it and I can’t place it, I can’t stop egging it on either. Did Elijah say something when he called him or did he drink a little too much? His eyes are wild, like liquid gold was filling them up and eating him whole. “Why can’t you get out of your own way?" I ask, a strangled crying in my throat, as his fist connects with a bookcase. Was this the explosion? I run a hand through my hair, turning away from him. 

"Don't turn your back on me!" He shouts and if it as if the whole building shakes. This is crazy,  _ insane _ . How can he treat me like this after all I’ve done for him? The anger takes over and all I can think about is how dare he say that to me. When have I turned my back? I’ve been chasing him!

"I should have turned my back on you ages ago!" I scream at him, my chest heaving, trying to regulate my breathing.  _ How could he? _ “I should’ve never even got mixed up in this!” I wave my hand around the library. Where were we anyway? My eyes flutter and my mind blanks out, just the anger coursing through me. “This is all your fault,” I tell him, meeting his hateful eyes once more. “How could you?” I want to break and cry, but anger bleeds red and my mind goes blank again.

“Then just leave!” He yells back, it echoing around me, my feet beg to turn, to let this die. “If nothing is holding you here, just go!” How could he say that to me? Why does he keep telling me to leave? I rub my temples with my hand, something's not right. Something is off. 

I don’t see what I want, I can barely open my eyes to the crashing in my head. I must’ve got to angry, excited the vampire side of me… something is so off about this. I can’t focus, his words hurt me is the only thing coming up no matter how hard I try to get past it. I shut my eyes tighter, ringing echoing all around my head, digging my fingers into my temples.

“Caroline.” Klaus voice… he’s right in front of me, but it seems so far away. “Caroline, look at me!” He roars.

He always starts it, always and I get blamed! I get berated by his siblings, banned from my own home, and now this? He pulls this here?

“Just shut up!” I can’t think. Everything sounds fuzzy. Hands are on my arms and then pain in the back on my head. I lose my balance. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is violence in this chapter. It is not graphic but it is there; nothing that we haven’t seen in the show, but warning none the less.

****_Ow…_ My eyelids are heavy and the bindings around my hands sting. I whimper against it. Everything is blurry, I’m having trouble getting back in focus. I release the hold and everything starts glowing. There’s others. They aren’t that high though, which means they are like me. Spawned vampires. One lights up distinctly, but not so much brighter, but I can tell that it will be dangerous, more so than the rest.

I close my eyes again, the pain rearing in and a strangled scream comes out. It has to be vervain. From what Elijah told me, it can only be vervain. How did this happen? What happened? I was in the library, Klaus came in, we fought like we always do and then… nothing. Ugh, Caroline think!

“She’s awake!” I hear across the room and I open my eyes, concentrating on her voice, heavily accented… european of some sort. She was a dim glow, vampire for sure but who was she under? Two others join her side and advance to me.

“Careful, she’s been trained by the Originals.” The originals makes them sound so fancy. Try staying with them for over two months, is what I want to say but another strangled scream comes out. My wrists felt like they were melting away, as if my hands would fall off.

“Let me go,” I manage to say between clenched teeth. “He won’t let you live if he catches you.”

“Like you said Barbie, ‘if’ he catches us.” I scream out and they laugh. _Idiots_. _Morons_. The lot of them didn’t know what they were getting into. No matter how much we fought, Klaus wouldn’t leave me for dead.

“He’ll be here soon.” A voice, a random voice, says, interrupting their fun.

“How did I get here?” I ask no one and am not surprised when I get no answer. A guy towers above me, looking at me as if I was trash and he was the incinerator. I don’t expect it, but he aims and catches my side. I hear a pop and then pain. I fall back, my wrists pressing on each other under my weight. I feel the vervain again and scream. I manage to roll on my side as another well place kick gets me in the stomach.

“Hey!” A girl, “Quit!” The guy is hauled away, but I hear him clear as day.

“That bitch killed my sister.” He spits the words at me, but I have no idea what he’s talking about. I've never killed beside the poor housekeeper.

I open my eyes, watching as he comes closer, squatting down into my sight. His hand is rough on my chin, painful as he holds my face. “You know that?” He asks, “She was paid to do a job for you, and then she was killed for it.”

“I didn’t kill anyone.” I tell him, my face wet from tears of pain. _Where is Klaus?_

“Yes, you did.” His face contorts, evil and brutal in my eyes. “Sam, you know?” I look at him as he says the name.

 _Sam_. The witch who sold me out in the first place. “I didn’t kill her,” I tell, a sick smile twisting my features, “and she brought that on herself,” I see his face warp even more as I talk. “She picked the wrong side.” She betrayed us first and paid the price. He shoves me away with his rough hands. I feel his anger, the need for revenge and I cry out as another kick lands. I feel my ribs crack, I feel something in my arm splinter. It doesn’t matter that it will heal later, it matters that it hurts now and it beyond any pain I’ve felt before and I can't stop him.

“Stop!" The girl yells, dragging him by his arms away from me, "He won’t like it if you keep that up.” he only backs off then with the threat of their master's wrath to answer to.

**.**

“Wake up, Barbie,” I feel nudging, a shoe against my arm. I rouse again, most of the pain gone. I sit up quickly, rubbing my free wrists. They were still bright red, the only trace the vervain had left. The guy grabs my arm, hauling me up, not bothering to be nice about it and a stale pain echoes, the break almost healed but not quite. I’m sore everywhere.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I’m pulled through a doorway to another room. The figures around me still have a brightness to them. The one who stands out a bit stands away from every one else. He’s average looking, pretty tall, but there is something off about him. I turn my head as they change direction and my eyes meet his. “Mikael.”

The second I see him, the room seems to brighten. I almost flinch away from it before I remember to pull it back. He grins at me, a lacking smile that tells of pain and anger more than happy to meet me, which I’m sure he isn’t. “Caroline.” His voice sounds like Klaus and Elijah, a groughness mixed with calm. “It’s been awhile.” He tells me, making small talk with a captive seems so unlike him.

“Can’t say I’ve missed you,” I nod to him, looking to my left and right. There aren’t many surrounding us like last time. That makes my chances a little better at getting out of this alive. Mikael’s laugh draws me back to him.

“But I’ve been looking forward to seeing you, Girl.” He’s malicious, cancerous. “There’s so many interesting things I’ve learned about you.” I want to laugh at him, at his people. _Interesting things?_

“Trust me, I’m short of interesting.”

He clicks his tongue, standing up and advancing on me. My skin crawls under his gaze. I want to flay him like a fish, take away the threat he holds over us all. “A witch told me all about you, what your mind can do, and don’t forget your little outburst.” I glare at him, keeping my lips sealed. I need his plan and I can’t get that if I’m dead. “Make her kneel.” His voice turns hard and I feel pain as something hits me from behind, pushing me to my knees.

A hand covers my head and a voice behind me, incoherent words whispered under her breath and then lightening pain striking through my skull. I want to crouch, bend at the waist, but whoever it is holds me tight. I feel like I’m screaming, my throat hurts, my brain is threatening to burst out of my head. But I'm not alone in my pain. Her incoherent words turn to screams soo enough and then everything is silenced.

**.**

The floor is cold. My body is heavy, but it’s a saving grace, cool on my burning head. My eyes search tiredly, some boots fill my vision, coming closer to me as I regain consciousness. They look like knock-off timberlands. _Cheapskate._ I see the blood on the floor and know it must be mine or the witches. “What did you do to me?” My voice is scratchy, so not attractive. I find his eyes, his tired, aged eyes, weary from searching down his children to slaughter them.

His fingers brush back my hair, almost like a doting father would. I try to move but his grip turn hard and pain strikes like he’ll pull my hair out to keep me still. I meet his eyes with a defying glare. “So that must be what he sees.” He whispers and I want to snap at him like a feral dog. I want to murder him and watch him bleed.

“Don’t you dare talk about him,” I say, threat obvious in my voice but he just keeps watching me.

“You don’t even know how special you’ll be, Girl.” He knocks my away from him hand and I twist to watch him. “I’m sure even my scholar of a son has realized it by now.”

“Elijah wouldn’t keep secrets from me.” He laughs, his fingers curling around his mouth, lost on a train of thought and then he’s in front of me again, his eyes full with curiosity and wonder, like I’m his new toy he can’t wait to test.

“You’re full of light.” He’s insane. He’s twisted and cruel. He’s no father and he’s no savior to his children. "The best part is you don't even have an idea about any of it." He's maniacal, lost his mind a long time ago in his hated and rage. I have no emotions for him and I wish I could end him here and now, that I found a way in that room where his goons captured me. 

"I hope I get to watch you burn." I spit at him, hoping it doesn't bring him some sick satisfaction. 

“Tell me, Caroline," he watches me carefully, studying me, "What is it about the bastard boy that makes you so loyal?" I don't have an answer for him. "You told me in our last meeting that you two were nothing for each other," I want him to get on with it but he keeps talking, "have you felt the attraction that comes when someone who is capable of doing terrible things, for some reason, cares only about you?” His smile is like a grimace of death, wanting to pollute the feelings which I hold. 

"He's capable of a lot a things, more than you could imagine." I want to lash out, but I can't. There's still time for Klaus to come to me, to get me out of this mess. "And if he’s capable of doing terrible things, then he learned it from you.” I spit at his face. Would I be the torture toy for his son? Would he flay me in front of Klaus’s eyes? I swallow my worry. I should be concerned with how to save myself from this situation.

“You have no idea of the darkness he holds.” It’s not something said in concern, but mockery; as if it carries enough weight to murder Klaus. “You don’t know what he has done.” His voice is dark, lost in a time where I was not even a thought or a spec, somewhere in a camp, with villagers trying to start anew. I was told the story, I know of that night. My eyes turn to daggers.

“He’s done nothing but try to survive.” I say, wishing that to be true. The levels of what is needed for survival in this twisted world are raised when you have a murderous, vampire father.

“Even killing his mother?” He asks and I stare at him caught off guard. No, Klaus didn’t kill her, Mikael did. That was what Elijah had told me. “You’re close to your mother aren’t you, Caroline?”  He uses it as a weapon, to lead me to the conclusion that only a monster would kill a parent, but isn’t different if that parent is a monster?

“Even if he did do that,” I tell Mikael, “He had his reasons.”

He moves away from me, “I see.”

 _Where is Klaus?_  The fight we had before I was taken… what happened to him in that moment? I was knocked out, but he was there… so why isn’t he here? “Where is Klaus?” I ask Mikael, who only looks at me with disinterest. “How did you even kidnap me with him there?” He cocks his head to side as if he has no idea what I’m talking about. Even if he wasn’t there, I’m sure his minions would have told him how they took me.

“He was there?” The tone of his voice is calculating, his eyes catching the goons around us until they find the three that brought me in. “Niklaus was with her and you brought me only her?” It’s a warning, a threat inside a question.

“No, Sir.” One of them says, “It was only her in the room.” A rushed explanation, but it was too late. Mikael was across the room, her throat in his hand. She clawed at it but he didn’t release. “I swear, it was just her!” She begs but that’s a lie. It has to be.

“No, he was there!” I insist, “we were fighting and my head began to hurt and then I was here,” I insist and Mikael looks into the eyes of my captor.

“Tell me the truth!” Her face goes numb and I know it’s compulsion.

“It was the spell, Sire. He wasn’t there when we went in.” The words fall from her lips with no effort to hold back. “She was alone standing beside a broken table. We hit her from the back and took her away.”

“No, he was there with me!” I get to my feet, no one stopping me as I feel my mind begin panicking. If he wasn’t… If he had never come back then that means that no one knows I’m missing. I look at Mikael, fear finally creeping in. If no one knows, then nobody is coming. I’ll have to deal with this myself.


	20. Chapter 20

I sit in the corner of the cell I was thrown in. The girl nursing red-marks around her throat eyes me with scary intentions and I know I’m not safe. Before I thought I would be, as long as Klaus was coming but if he wasn’t there… then that means it could be hours before anyone thinks to come for me. “What spell?” I ask, wondering if I’ll get an answer.

She looks back at me, “A distraction spell,” she says, and I’m shocked she answered. Minions usually shut their mouth. “It messes with your mind, puts in something to distract you, keeps you still and quiet.” She explains, looking out toward the hall where Mikael was now absent. I wonder if she doesn’t agree with him, if I could turn her to my side, to help me get out.

“Why are you answering me?” I ask, testing the waters and she gives me a look that tells me everything. She pities me. She thinks I’ll die here. She turns away ending our conversation. She won’t help me.

**.**

“Barbie.” A hard kick and my eyes roll open. I wonder how much blood I’m covered in from his beatings. My mouth is dry, my throat scratchy. I’m _thirsty_ and they’re drying me out. “Come on,” He says, grabbing me by the arm hard enough to dislocate it. I scream out involuntarily and then yell in anger.

“Stop dragging me!” I scream at him, my thirst on the back burner as I hit him away from me. I see the flash in his eyes, happy I’m fighting back, a reason to kill me but I’m done waiting. I move quickly, hurling myself under his arm, gripping his head in my hands before he can blink. I forgot for a moment, after being surrounded by the siblings and protected for so long. I forgot that I’m not defenseless. His head breaks off easily in between my palms. I won’t be beaten and bullied any longer.  

I’m not some poor, little Suzy waiting for a prince, I’m a cheerleader that can kick ass. I grab the makeshift stake and adjust it in my hand. “Anyone else want to throw me around?” I ask them and they start filling in, surrounding me. I look into the eyes of Mikael’s goons watching me, waiting to see how I react next, judge my next move and I smile. _I’ve finally lost it._ I’ve been around Kol too much.

I thought they would come one by one, but they don’t. It’s different from the action films Tyler used to love to watch, where they took turns beating up the protagonist. No, they all rush at once and I’m overwhelmed. I manage to take out two, one by pure accident, but soon my arms are pinned behind me.

“Stop!” Mikael walks in and one by one, they move away from me, his voice ringing out clear as I must look like a wreck.  I snarl at them and pick myself up.

“He’s not coming,” I growl at him, “you won’t find him so just kill me already.” I tell him, pushing my luck but I don’t know what to do. It’s not like I can compel these people or him. He’s won and I’ve lost. I just hope the sibling will think of avenging me when they take him out.

“I've been a vampire hunter longer than you've been alive.” He’s gloating, holding it over my head that I’m a baby in his time. His hand is touching me again, hold my jaw in between his hands, his grip strong, unrelenting, unforgiving. His eyes taunting me, happy with his subtle victory. He still wants me on his side, whatever he’s found out about me, he wants it. “It's why I found you here.” His voice is low, only for me, to scare me and make me wallow, to realize all is lost and this will be my end, “It's why I'm going to find Niklaus.” He tells me, wanting me to know whether I die hear or not, Klaus will follow and there’s nothing that can be done about it.

“No, he’ll kill you.” I spit back, “Just like he did your adulterating wife.” His hand spins out, connecting with my cheek, sending me backwards crashing into the floor. It’s enough to make me see stars in my weakened state.

“Enough,” his eyes are clouded with emotion- _so he does have a heart._ He starts walking toward me, no doubt ready to end this as screams echo in the main hall, violent screams and I feel my heart leap, my death disappearing .

“Klaus?” It tumbles out of me and I’m being hauled up by hard hands. Two separate emotions betray my strength; one because he came for me and why would he do that unless I mattered to him, right? And two because we weren’t ready and Mikael… _no. Don’t think like that._ I berate myself.

Mikael is already moving away with his mind somewhere else. “Are you ready, Sweet Caroline?” He sounds every bit like the predator he is, not gleeful though, not even triumphant. No, more like a guy about to call checkmate, as if he has the final say.

“You really are one twisted son of a bitch,” I reply, struggling against my captor, who is holding onto me quite strongly. I can feel though that his vibe is different and that is troubling. I release the hold and his glow is the brighter one, the special one. _F*ck_.

He hauls me out of the room and over Mikael’s shoulder I see Klaus standing before us and he looks pissed but I can’t help being excited because he came. He’s a sight for sore eyes, though.  His shirt is drenched in someone else’s blood, his face hardened, not even glitching when his eyes pass over me.

“You haven't changed, boy.” Mikael says, “still hiding behind your playthings like a coward.” He waves a hand toward me and Klaus doesn’t even falter but keeps his sight set on Mikael, a line of bodies behind him. I wonder if he’ll be proud of me if he learns I took down three… probably could’ve been more if I was in a state to do so. "Come and face me, Niklaus,” Klaus doesn’t move,  “Or she dies." _He wouldn’t_. My eyes wander away from father to son. Klaus seems different to me, different from the guy who plays push and pull, who saves me, and who changes me. Looking at him… I’m scared to say I don’t know him but it’s the truth. This time in front of Mikael, it’s different. I’m not some human girl with a strange ability anymore. I don’t know what I am to him anymore.

When he speaks, my eyes close involuntarily, it was a sound I missed, but the words that fall from him are the last thing I wanted to hear. "Go ahead.” He says, “Kill her."

**“** Klaus.” It’s a plea from my lips. I’m nervous. He wouldn’t do this to me, he wouldn’t let me die this easy… “Please,” I say and still his eyes escape me as I pull against the hands that hold me back.

"If she dies, it’ll be your fault." Mikael falters for a second and so do I, my eyes never leaving Klaus.

"I don't need her.” He says with a twisted smile, and I refuse to believe him, not after all of this. Not after all he put me through.When he protected me and kept his distance so neither of us could get hurt, not after I got a confession from his lips. “I just need to be rid of you." I barely hear it as I close my eyes, wishing for a different outcome. If Klaus won’t fight for me, I’ll die. If I fight, I might get in the way of Klaus plan, and he could die and I would die. I’m stuck whichever way I choose.

Mikael’s cynical laugh fills the air and Klaus hardens even more, getting further and further from someone I know. I try to send a message to Klaus. That he’s not alone in this, that I’ll help, along with his siblings, we’re all on his side.  

Klaus raises his hand, his fingers pointing at me, his eyes glued to Mikael. "I'm calling your bluff, father.” He says, “Kill her." As if he really doesn’t care, his voice is empty, and I can’t see anything that would save me. I feel my eyes burn, the tear welling up. The guy behind me tightens his hold, ready for Mikael’s signal. I try to pull away, try to summon any super strength in me but I’m too weak. I went to long without blood and now I would pay for it.

“Face me like a man, you little coward, and I won't have to." He tells his son, almost looking for a reason to spare me.

“Klaus…” I cry out, barely a whisper as I start struggling again but Klaus is far away from me, he doesn’t see me right now.

"My whole life you've underestimated me!” Klaus rages in delight, finally having an upper hand against him, “If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead.” He pushes, coming closer to his father, so close one could reach out and grasp the other. “Go on.” Klaus bites out, “kill her.” It slithers off his tongue and I try to run away, I pull as hard as I can but my only reward is blurry eyes,  “Come on, old man. Kill her,” He pushes again, louder. “Kill her!" he screams, his face red, the veins in his neck popping and I don’t know if I’ll forgive him for this, for what he’s doing, even if it saves us both because I have to hold onto that, that his feelings run deep enough that he wouldn’t.

Mikael laughs in his face, and Niklaus backs down, as if a switch was turned and he’s a son looking for approval, “Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great.” Mikael’s hand moved and I felt fire blossom in my neck.

_So that’s a werewolf’s glow_ , I think to myself as my eyes finally lock with Klaus, the panic in them makes me happy. “Your actions have repercussions, boy.” Mikael gloats as I fall to the ground, my strength already fading slightly, my legs folding under me. My hand automatically moves to my neck. “You’ll learn this before I kill you.” I watch as Klaus’s face shuts down, his eyes dim and his jaw tightens and then his eyes glow, the gold leaking back into them as they did in our argument… the argument that never happened. Then mayhem follows in his wake.

Every minion around me loses their head, the werewolf loses a couple limbs and I hear him scream out behind me but I can’t look. Mikael is gone from my view. I can’t focus on them for more than a few seconds. Elijah told me that if I was ever bitten, the bite would take hours to take effect, that it wouldn’t kill me right away, no matter how much it hurt.

I close my eyes as bodies drop around me. Klaus was, by far, stronger than anything in this room, even Mikael. I open my eyes everyone in the room ceased to be, only his heavy breathing behind me. “You told him to kill me,” I whisper it, my voice not stable enough to actually speak.

“I would never let him-” I try to get to my feet, but they falter. Maybe I’m in shock, maybe it’s the werewolf poison flowing into my veins, maybe it’s a lot of things but his feet sound behind me, his arms warm. My body moves then, my arms wrapping around his neck as he lifts me as if I’m no more than a bag of flour.

“Don’t do it again,” I tell him and he finally looks at me and it’s different then before, almost as he’s about to kiss me but my words warned him off. His eyes are warm and caring, something akin to love hiding in their depths.

He smiles freely in response, as if with that he’s forgiven and I think I’ve given in to easily when something makes me jump and my eyes widen, my arms tightening. “Mikael,” I say, worried but Klaus shakes his head. _He got away again_.

We’re out of the building, sun high in the sky and I wiggle around, the pain still sharp in my neck, “I can walk.” I say and struggle to be released, but Klaus just holds me tighter and I don’t know why but there’s a stronger feeling, like he is the one who needs the skinship right now, to hold me, feel me and gain the comfort from it more than I.

His eyes trail to my neck, almost wincing, “Don’t think so low of me.” There’s pain in his voice. I wonder if the thought of me holding on to what he said in there hurts him. I want to comfort him, even though it was me who was put through hell. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he adjust his arms, holding me tighter.


	21. Chapter 21

I step out of the shower, looking at the mark on my shoulder in the mirror. It was already fading away. The second we reached the car and I was seated, his wrist was at my lip, the blood dripping down and I remembered how hungry I was. Though his blood was good, it didn’t quite hit the spot. His fingers stroked my head as I drank. I didn’t know how much I was supposed to take and so I just kept on until I felt less like death and more like Caroline. 

His wrist left my lips, but he did not leave me. He held me close, his chest to my back, the console sitting between us did not dissuade his emotions and I sat there with him. I didn’t know how to move forward with him at that moment, and maybe we won’t but I took in the comfort he was offering and tried to give it back. “You’re safe now.” He murmurs, as if he read my mind and I wrap my hands around his arm, holding him back. I think he said it for him more than me. 

After the moment passed, he drove to the nearest hotel and got a room for us. That moment, where evening was setting in, darkening the skies just a touch, left me wondering what would happen. It was silly of me to think about trying to get further with him, to  _ date  _ him. We were in the worst position possible after Mikael’s attack. I had to talk to Elijah urgently when we got home, Klaus has to deal with his father issues… there is no time to think about dating, especially with a thousand-year-old vampire. Just thinking about addressing him as my boyfriend gave me nervous giggles but also sent butterflies to my stomach.

_ No, Caroline _ . I berate myself, drying off my hair with the towel. I will not to read too deeply into it. We are friends, I guess, and anyone would be worried if their friend was kidnapped, yes? But how can I not read into the hug in the car? Not only that but so much information passed on to me today and it almost seemed as if my brain would imploded if I tried to sort it out. The best way to handle the easiest of it is to call a friend, so I call Elena. 

“Caroline?” Her voice is like a warm blanket to me right now and I close my eyes to drink it in. A bit a normalcy in my crazy life. “Is something wrong? Did your dad get worse?”

“No, no, he’s fine,” I lie, “I just… something happened.” I tell her, hoping my tone lets her jump to the right conclusions. I sit on my bed, on leg under me, the other hanging down. My reflection stares back at me from the mirror.

“With Mr. Mikaelson?” I hear the curiosity in her voice and I can imagine her, on her window bench, diary in her lap, sitting up straighter for a piece of friendly gossip.

“With  _ Klaus _ ,” I say, and I hear her laugh, “I think it did anyway.” 

“Spill.” She orders and I comply.

“So, I’m actually in Louisiana because Klaus needed help moving a friend,” I craft the story as I go. “And his siblings were all busy, you know, so I volunteered with stress getting to me,”

“A change of scenery would help.” She agrees, “There’s scientific studies that prove that.” 

“Anyway,” I laugh, “he was on the phone with his younger siblings and I overheard them talking about me,” I tell her, “and they said that he’s been interested since he first met me and that now was the time to make a move.” I tell her, wondering if I’m screwing up the story a bit too much to get the right feeling across. I hear a giggle from her end and continue, “So we were moving things and I asked him if he was interested.”

“That’s the Caroline Forbes I know!” Elena jests and I smile.

“He kept making up excuses to not answer the question and then I had a case of foot-in-mouth and he stormed out.” I end lamely, and I can literally hear Elena wincing.

“Also the Caroline I know,” she giggles nervously, more for my bruised ego. “Then what?” She asks.

“I called his older brother to see if he had heard from him and then got lost searching…” 

“You got lost?”

“I did.” I tell her and she starts laughing. The Great Caroline Forbes lost in New Orleans must thrill her. 

“Did he find you? Was he pissed?” She asks.

“Yea, he found me.” I pick at the comforter. “But, he hugged me.” I simplify it. “I mean, he was angry…”  _ Go on. Kill her.  _ “But then he hugged me for like ten minutes.” Elena makes ‘ooooo’ sounds over the phone and my threat to hangs up stops her. 

“Go for it.” She says, not opposing me, “I think he’s into you, as strange as it is, and you could use the stress reliever if you know what I mean.”

“Elena Gilbert!” I chided her with sends us into laughter again. We talk for a little while more, about her and Bonnie, Jeremy and his now-serious relationship with Anna, a girl that really does seem to fit with with her brother despite Elena’s attempts to resist to stay on Bonnie’s side. I ask her about Stefan and she gets excited, telling me all about the movie night in towns square and how Stefan made her a picnic basket and he also got an award from the football team. 

A knock on my door alerts me to the passing time and I say goodbye, “Caroline,” Elena says before I hit end, “thanks for opening up to me.” It’s a shy confession between friends and as comforting as it is, it also hurts. “I really am here for you and I’m happy you know that.” She tells me and I second her feelings, clicking off the line. I sit there for a second before the knock comes back. 

“Hold on!” I call out, rushing to get on some clothes.

**.**

I drink the liquid he gives me, not questioning where he got it from. It quenches the thirst I have, sustaining me. I watch him from my bed, as he occupies a chair near the door, his shoulders holding all the tension. I knew we wouldn’t be safe till we got back to the house, but I wonder if it was that extreme. “Klaus, we need to talk.” His eye wander over to me, serious. 

“Drink that and go to bed, Caroline. You’ll be safe.”  _ Safe? _ How is that possible? 

I put the drink on the nightstand, “It’s about something Mikael said to me when I was…” I trail off, not really wanting to think about it. “Did you really kill your mother?” I ask and he sits silent in the chair. “He told me you killed her.” 

“Did he?” He replies, sounding uninterested in my question and more interested in his phone. His voice has a bite to it that does not seem to welcome more questions. He’s trying to push me away again, push me away so he can’t get hurt or so I won’t realize his darkest moment.

“You did, then.” I say, confirming it for him. His eyes find mine, entrancing me but not into forgetting. “Why?”  I push forward. I went through hell again and now I didn’t want to go in blindly anymore. I didn’t want to be someone kicked around and then living without knowing what was happening. “Does Elijah know?” I ask. Klaus looks at me as if I’ve hit a spot. I must wait for him to come to me.

“I...” He stops and thinks, spinning his phone in his hands. “It was out of anger.” He says finally, “Mikael killed my birth father in rage and then tied me up,” my eyes follow his to his wrist, “He did it to suppress the wolf side.” I feel my heart ache for him, for his past. I can see it, his wrists bound while Mikael looms over him, a disgusting snear warping his face as Klaus screams. 

Klaus gets up from his station, coming to the edge of my bed, I pull my legs up to make room. “It wasn’t something I remember clearly. I didn’t think I could do it, but I did.” His eyes are almost pleading with me to understand, but not sorry. He isn’t sorry that he killed her, for what his mother and father did to him and his siblings. 

The first thing on my mind is to reach out to him, to comfort him even though I know he is also trying to warn me to stay away. I find his hand, lacing my fingers with his and he stares at them, as if it’s a foreign concept he needs to study. “I won’t tell anyone.” I say and I mean it. It’s not my secret to tell and I won’t invade on the personal family matters that don’t include me. There’s more to figure out than if Klaus killed his mom or not, a lot more to discuss and get squared away before we leave tomorrow. 

“What happened in the warehouse?” He asked me and for someone reason I grin, happily as I look at him. He’s thrown back by reaction.

“I took down three of them,” I tell him, “they kept beating me up and I realized I’m not helpless anymore, like when I was first kidnapped,” I go on, “and I took down three of them!” I grip his hand as he looks at me wide-eyed.

“Three of them?” He asks, calculating something, looking away, and I wonder what it is. “That should’ve been impossible, Love.” He tells me and I stare at him blankly. His eyes go back and forth from the open space to me and back, thinking, “Listen, you were turned almost two months ago? Three? You’re still a child in vampire years, not to mention you were hungry, and there was blood all over you.” He lists out and even he’s impressed by my feat. “Is it because of you ability,” he wonders aloud, his eyes finding mine again. 

I shrug, a smile still on my face, happy that I could take down at least three. I bring my knees to under my chin, looking at him. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to be in his company or this nervous. His eyes wander around my form, worry and curiosity leaking out of his every pore. He doesn’t let my hand go and I wonder if that things have calmed down now, I can finally address the matter that has been confusing me from the beginning. I’ve been attracted to him since I’ve met him, I know that. I couldn’t stay away even when I knew he was dangerous and I’ve overcome so much anger and hostility to be back at this point. I have to come to terms with it and I need him to know as well, to be able to move forward.

“Klaus,” I say, staring at our intertwined hands. “I’m sorry,” 

“What for, Love?” He asks me.

“For what I said…” I trail off as his eyes come to meet mine, remembering the moment in library. The real one. “I was out of line,” I say and shake my head, ducking down away from his eyes. How could I have been so foolish? I hear his feet, feel him next to me but he stutters, doesn’t move forward more than that. 

“It’s not your fault, Caroline. I shouldn’t have ran off just because we had a spat.” His words are gentle and he moves himself closer to me, our hands resting on his thigh. 

It’s enough for me to barely peek out at him and for once there’s nothing existing between us. No student-teacher complex, not sire-vampire complex, just two people and I turn my head to rest it on my arm, to stare at him. He needs a shave, heavy five o’clock shadow adorning his face, his eyes are heavy, exhaustion setting in from the showdown with his father and goons. I wonder if he should go to bed. I leaned up a little, about to tell him to go sleep, that we’d talk tomorrow at the same time his hand came toward me, resting on my face and I could feel the calluses on his fingers, rough against my skin, but my eyes fluttered close and his lips were soft. Softer than I thought. My free hand comes up to settle on his wrist, still in my curled-up state. I used that to bring him closer, for once not thinking about anything complicated.

**.**

I wake up, curled around Klaus, my leg over his thigh, my hand splayed out on his chest, his Henley soft underneath my fingers… I try to bite back the sleepy smile. I shouldn’t be happy after all we did was kiss, not even a full- blown make out session, we just kissed and it was… perfect. I wanted to dial Elena and gush about it, still being the teenager that I am. We kissed and the world didn’t explode, there were no questions, no fighting, there was a kiss and he looked at me and put his arm around me. He held me as he fell asleep, as if he was scared that I would taken again, as if he didn’t want to lose me. There was so much back and forth, him keeping his distance so I could go back to my non-vampire influenced life, me condemning him for staying away. This could be a giant mistake but I don’t think it would be.

I try not to giggle in happiness. I didn’t know that this was what I wanted in the end, to be wrapped up in his arms, so warm. It wasn’t something I experienced before in my other relationships. It felt more mature. I look at his face, a tiny bit more relaxed, before sitting up to get ready, head back to Mystic Falls and tell Elijah and the others what was learned. 

“Not yet,” his voice is husky and his hand encircles my wrist lightly, tugging just a bit, letting me have final say.  _ We don’t have to leave yet, _ I think to myself as I fall back onto the bed, letting his arm wound around my waist, pulling me into him, his lips at my neck in a soft, comforting kiss. 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the answer is coming soon.... and so is domestic Klaroline! I hope I don't disappoint! enjoy ^^

“Did you grab everything?” I ask him as he shuts the truck with a loud thud. It’s not like we had a lot but there was no use in leaving things behind at the hotel either.

“Everything has been packed,” he replies coming around to my side of the car, looking at me with dreamy eyes. I wondered if we should try to discuss things further or just let them develop as they will… it doesn’t seem practical to discuss them right now. Practical or normal. I wonder if he would laugh if I asked him if this meant we were dating. Is it possible to commit to someone for an eternity?  I guess it’s something we’ll worry about after this whole thing is over.

“What do we tell them?” I ask him, scrolling through the messages Elijah had left, sitting in the passenger's seat.

“About?” He asks, a flirty smile on his face as he leans in close.

“The fact that we didn’t find anything and I got kidnapped?” I reply, knocking his shoulder with mine.

“Ahh,”

“Yes, that.” He laughs as he opens my door at my response and I climb in, getting adjusted for the drive ahead of us, worried by how Elijah will take the news that not only were we not able to find anything on killing their father, but that said father abducted me, _and_ the library was no longer safe. I fear that coming conversation. I had never seen Elijah angry, annoyed- yes. Frustrated, yes. Angry, no. And it’s always the quiet ones that are truly scary. Take Bonnie for instance. I saw her angry when Jeremy broke up with her for Anna, and it was not something I wanted to see again. I thought books would go flying she was so angry.

He slips into the car seconds later, seemingly graceful for the vampire he is. I reach over and take his hand as he starts driving, which not only does he smile at, he also holds my hand back.

**.**

I think the worst part of a trip is the ride home. It seems to take longer the closer you get and here we stand next to my door. Soon the whole house will know what happened and we won’t be able to hide from Rebekah’s snide remarks or Kol’s innuendos even with more terrifying thing looming on the horizon. I turn and flash him a small smile, knowing he’s probably still worried about me. I place my hand on his chest and see his eyes close for a second before meeting mine again, happiness fluttering in them. Relief that I’m here and not dead. “We’re home now.” I tell him and he leans forward, giving me a small kiss, grabbing my hand in his, and squeezing it before letting it go, leaving me to look after him as he walks down the hallway to the stairs, going up to his room on the third floor.

I open my own door, letting it stay open as I throw my duffel on the bed, the smile still stuck on my face. I should call Elena. It would be better to go and see her, but with the threat of Mikael and how he probably is tracking us… it’s not safe for them to be around me.

Seconds later I hear Kol come up to my open door, his footsteps alone are more than annoying enough. “So…” Kol leans on my door jamb as I unpack, probably having seen the kiss and no doubt wants his ten seconds of teasing.

“Shut it, Kol.” I glare at him from my dresser.

He look aghast and I don’t buy it, so he holds up his hands, palms towards me as well. “I didn’t say anything!”

“But you were about too, and if I know anything about you, I probably would have punched you afterwards.” He laughs, coming into my room, sitting on my bed. I would've kicked him out if I didn’t know he was harmless. I never thought I would be close to Kol, the slouch and lazy miser that he is, but he has his good qualities if you dig far enough.

“So you and my brother?” He waggles his eyebrows and I’m suddenly regretting letting him get a step in my bedroom.

“Don’t you have to be annoying somewhere else?” I ask him, turning away with an aggravated sigh and going for my desk, looking for the homework Rebekah had brought home for me last week.

“Not until four.” He says behind me and I roll my eyes, looking at him from my desk.

“Don’t make me bring Klaus in here.” I warn him and he stands up, whistling as he goes. I smile as he shuts my door, finally finding the homework packet. It seems strange to do homework in this time of stress around the house. I’m sure Rebekah probably compels the teachers to give her A’s, but I can’t do that. Even if I only do this once, I want to do it right. At least util Klaus calls me down so we can tell Elijah about what we didn’t find and then decided the next method from there.

**.**

I had walked into Elijah office to tell him all out the Mikael-fiasco with Klaus and deliver the news that nothing useful had been found but the thing Mikael had sent me home with was prickling my brain so when we went to leave, I decide to hash it out.

“I’ll follow in a second,” I give Klaus a tight smile, and he looks between me and Elijah before nodding and leaving the room by himself, the door closing after him and I train my sights on Elijah, who looks at me curiously.

“There’s something I found out,” I tell him, standing behind my chair, my fingers tightening on the seat as the memory swans around me, Mikaels voice echoing in my ears. “When I was with Mikael.” He leans forward, waiting for me to tell him, but I don’t. “I’ll give a chance to explain yourself.” I tell him. There isn’t anything I can threaten him with, there’s nothing I can hold against him besides my anger. It’s not like I’ll sic Klaus on him for holding his tongue.

“I don’t know if I follow,” He says and I wonder if he’s feigning ignorance over it or if he is lost. Maybe Mikael was wrong. I feel relief fill me and I smile, a laugh bubbling in my chest as I take me seat.

“When Mikael was holding me,” I begin, “he told there was something more about me and that you knew what it was.” I run a hand through my curls.

“Oh,” It’s quiet and I would’ve missed it but I didn’t. My eyes flash to his face, my guard going up on its own, my heart speeding up a little bit. “I see.” He folds his fingers.

“‘ _I see’?”_ I repeat. I’m at a loss for words. “So you know then? The secret about me?” I ask him, sitting up a bit straighter, tension tight in my shoulders. He just stares at me, as if I’m something feral that needs to be watched. He tilts his head, a nod. I look away, a sudden burning threatening my strong facade. I can’t let my emotions win here, I can’t break in front of him like this. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, staring at the wall.

“You have to understand-”  

“I don’t have to understand anything!” I growl at him, my anger bursting raising up out of me, “It’s my body and it’s my power!” He’s so far in the wrong that I can’t even understand him. “How could you?” I stand, my feelings getting the better of me.

“Caroline, let’s calm down,” Elijah says, crossing his legs at his desk, “please, hear me out before making your assumptions.” I turn to him, looking at his trusting face and how he turned his back on me. “Caroline,” He says again, and I take a few deep breaths, crossing my arms. “I didn’t keep it from you on purpose,”

“Oh, it just slipped your mind?” I ask, “You realize that’s ridiculous, don’t you?” His eyes walk away from me, signaling that I’m getting a bit annoying but I really don’t care. “At least look at me and tell me why you hid it! And what it is!” I yell at him, suddenly thankful this room was magically sound proof.

“It’s more difficult to explain than you think,”

“Stephanie Meyer did an okay job of it!” I insist, even though it’s a bit of a stretch. The look he gives me tells me that he thinks the same.

“Caroline, be reasonable.” He says and I find my chair again, glaring at him as I sit. He sigh, coming around his desk to the chair next to me. “When I found out what you could be _capable_ of,” he says pointedly, making sure that I know the he doesn't know if it’s even possible, “I didn’t know how to even begin coaching you about it.” He says, “You’re something we’ve never seen before. You’re a vampire yet you still retain your ability from your human days.” He explains, “It’s not like I can rely on some ridiculous fiction story for research.” I want to laugh but I can’t. I’m angry, so angry. It’s not fair. It’s not just that he kept it a secret when it’s my own ability, it’s that he could, that I trusted him so blindly that I didn’t even think it was capable for him to do something like this.

“And if it accidentally happened? Whatever I could do? What if I hurt Klaus or any of you because you were to cautious?” I ask him, my legs itching to start pacing but I stay seated, gripping the arms of the chair.

“You have more control than any new vampire I’ve seen.” He thinks I’m being ridiculous. That he was in the right for keeping this secret. “You have enough control to not go off like a bomb.” He still hasn’t even told me.

“Tell me what I can do, Elijah, or I swear…” What can I do? “Tell me now.” I order. “You are keeping a secret that could negatively affect you all and it’s not even your choice. It is about me and my life, it’s not yours to keep.” I don’t give him any room to shift and yet I don’t see him near breaking.

“Caroline,”

“No!” I yell, feeling my blood boil. “It’s not your choice, Elijah!” He stares at me, surprised by my outburst. “Tell me now!” I scream, knowing I’m going off the rails, but I don’t know what else to do. How can he keep it from me when Mikael knows? “Your father knows! Do you get that?” I feel my anger start to break as tears fall out of my eyes and I cover my face. “Your bastard of a father knows something I don’t even know about myself. Can you even imagine what that feels like?” My voice cracks and I’m taken back into Klaus’s memory of his dad suppressing part of himself, wondering if Elijah had a hand in it, if he helped hold Klaus down. I feel like the other side of the coin, in the same position. His hand lays on my shoulder tenderly and I snap, “Don’t touch me!” I yell, stepping away from him furiously.

I can’t do this right now. I move toward the door, gripping the knob, scared I’ll break it with my strength and I turn to look at him, watching me warily, “Don’t you dare talk to me if you won’t tell me.” I say lowly, my voice holding much more threat in it that I knew I was capable of. “And don’t blame me for what comes next.”

“Caroline,” I open the door, as he tries to call me back.

Klaus is leaning on the wall, standing straight automatically, glancing between Elijah and I. I can only assume I look like a mess. I drag my hands across my face, trying to clean up as I walk out of the office and to the stairs, trying to rush to my bedroom. I hear Klaus’s feet following me, catching up to me as we reach the stairs. My name sits on his tongue, his hand on my arm stopping me. I look at him and it’s enough that the tears start again. He doesn't ask me anything, he just slips into mine, taking us from the stairs and into his own office, the door closing behind us. He pushes in the lock and comes to me as I stand there sniffling like a baby. He smooths down my hair, wipes the tears from under my eyes. I never knew there was this side to him, that he could be this sweet but Rebekah must have know, which is why she didn't mind so much about me, maybe he comforted her broken hearts as only an older brother could, something I never knew... I relied on Elena and Bonnie, or no one. I start crying even more and he hugs me close as I fall apart.

Maybe he wasn’t used to comforting someone outside the family. This was probably new to him, but I held on, clenching his shirt in my hands, crying over so many different things, and I needed him. I don’t know what I would have done if we hadn’t had that moment in the hotel room, who I would’ve turned too. I probably would've gone into my room and cried there, huddled against the headboard and the pillows. I didn't know really how to be comforted but as he pulled me closer, his head against mine, I realized that I missed something I didn't know. 


	23. Chapter 23

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He’s not angry at me, but I know that he’s a little hurt.

“I wanted to give him the chance and I also hoped Mikael was lying about it.” I tell him, staring at my hands in front of me, leaning down instead of sitting up. Klaus sits next to me, his body turned toward me. “It’s not like Mikael straight up said ‘Elijah knows and so do I’.” I mimic and Klaus laughs quietly, amused by my impersonation. “He just said Elijah would probably know and so that’s what I went in with.” I tell him.

“Well, it’s not the first time Elijah’s done this.” He tells me and I look up at him, curious and also a little offended that he is not more angry. “Elijah tends to withhold, thinking it’s better until he knows all the answers.”

“But it’s my life it’s interfering with!” I complain, leaning back into his couch. “What if I can hurt you guys and not even know it?” I look at him, bringing myself into a ball in the corner of the couch, resting my chin on top of my knees as I look at him.

“We’re originals, Love. You might be able to hurt us, but you can’t kill us.” He smiles, trying to be comforting but it doesn’t help.

“You don’t know that.” I tell him, “None of you have encountered something like me before.”

“You have a point there,” He sounds like he’s joking but I know there something serious behind it. “I’ll talk to my brother.” He gets up, laying a kiss on my head and I close my eyes, taking comfort in his proximity. It’s so strange that at the beginning of the week he was staying away from me as if I was the plague and now he was sticking beside me. I watch his back as he walks out of the room leaving me alone in the big room.

His paints, usually kept in their case, were out around his canvas. It was the same canvas I had seen a while ago, but more towards completion. I walk over to it, looking at it closely. It’s almost as if he changed course. I remember it dark, more lonely but now there’s more white appearing in it, giving it more life than before.

“You’re interfering,” I look behind me and see Rebekah smirking at me from the doorway.

“With?” I ask, already on the offensive.

She waves her hand toward the painting and I follow her direction. “With his art.” She says it like it’s obvious. “Nevermind, you wouldn’t be able to tell anyway.” She sighs and I’m already passed annoyed with her antics as she moves to her real reason for seeking me out,“Kol tells me he saw you two kissing?”

I barely stop the laugh that bubbles toward the surface, incurring Rebekah’s own personal fury. “I wouldn’t exactly call that a kiss, but yeah, he did.”

“So you’re dating my brother?”

“I don’t know, we haven’t exactly talked it out.” It’s still strange to me that someone with a thousand years of experience would go for the small town girl. That and calling a vampire who could bathe in the amount of blood he’s spilled more than once my boyfriend just seems awkward. “I’m there for him and he’s there for me.” I respond as she takes the seat I was just occupying.

“That’s not reassuring.”

“And why would you need to be reassured, Rebekah?” I turn toward, crossing my arms over my chest as she stares me down from her spot. It’s not quite a smile that flits across her face, more like a grimace and she stands, her hands at her side.

“Because I love my brothers, all of them, and family is the only thing you can count on.” She tells me and I feel my eyes try to roll out of their sockets.

“Family?” She nods, as if it isn’t a stretch, “like your dad?” She sends daggers at me. “He’s your family. Your flesh and blood and yet I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”

“You are talking about matters beyond your comprehension.” She growls and comes so close to me I knew that if one of us didn’t back up, Klaus was going to have a broken office.

“I think you are interfering in matters that don’t concern you.” I fire back.

Thankfully Kol shows up and I don’t spend the next hour getting lectured for fighting. He claps as he does and we both turn our eyes, and annoyance, on him. “Now, I’m not one to break up a cat-fight,” he pauses with a Cheshire grin, “but how about we take it outside away from big bro’s art space?” Rebekah turns away, a hand combing through her hair. “Unless you want to meet his wrath, then by all means,” he waves his hand for us to continue and I meet her eyes and shake my head.

“Think what you want, I don't care.” I say, leaving the room for the backyard, needing to get away from all of them. They were going to drive me insane one day. Elijah, who goes back on his word and hides things from us, Klaus, who can never seem to get angry at the right time, Kol, who can’t ever shut his mouth, and Rebekah, who keeps sticking her nose into my business. Because I haven’t been with them since they were born? So what! Family isn’t the only thing you can count on and it’s not like they can always be there for you anyway.

I want to pull out my hair. Things were happening so fast now. For two months, I’ve been training to be the best newbie I can be and then I finally get a taste of freedom and Mikael ruins it, sending me back into hiding. I sit on the grass, not caring if it’ll stain my jeans or the bugs that crawl around below me. Above me the sun shines down, a new day since we’ve been back. I slept so well when we returned and woke up to this mess. Now I have Elijah blatantly lying to my face and Rebekah jumping me for my confession towards her brother… I start ripping apart a blade of grass in my hands, kind of wishing I was back in the place with Mikael’s goons so I could tear them apart again.

I think about calling Elena when I hear footsteps, multiple sets. I look over my shoulder, Elijah and Klaus in the front, Kol jumping along, and Rebekah glaring at me from the rear. _Is this an intervention?_ Klaus holds out his hand to help me stand and I take it, letting go after I balance to cross my arms over my chest.

“Hear him out, Caroline.” Klaus says into my ear, a low, rumbling whisper and I watch Elijah, prim and perfect, with his hands behind his back, dressed up for no occasion.

“Caroline,” he starts, “what I know of what you could do isn’t based on fact but gut feelings, which is why I didn’t say anything.” He explains and I try to cut in but he cuts me off from it by holding up his hand. “Klaus and I talked and I thought it would be best for us to discuss this, as Mikael is as much of a threat to you as he is to us now.”

“You don’t say?” I ask him sarcastically, “what gave you that idea? The two times he kidnapped me or his expressed interest in my ability that you kept secrets on?”

“Love, please,” Klaus tries to stop me from my rampage.

“No, let her keep going. This is fascinating!” Kol says from the sidelines.

“Don’t you ‘Love’ me right now,” I swing to Klaus, his eyes wide for a second but I can also see the pleasure in them. I know he finds me more fascinating than scary but I really can’t care about that right now. “He knowing kept a secret that could’ve aided us but yet let Mikael find out about and he used it as leverage against us to make me doubt you,” I point out, “and it not only worked, he was right on all counts!” I tell him. “Doesn’t that worry you? If he can peg you that well, what else does he know?” I ask them standing around me, furious at their lack of communication with each other and with realizing that if Mikael truly took us out it was because he was better than us, then them. “But what do I know, right?” I ask them as I walked toward the house, ready to bar myself in my room for the next few days, suddenly mad at all of them, Klaus included.

**.**

“I think blondie #2 has a point, Brothers,” I hear Kol say downstairs. I sit up in my room, my door closed. Klaus tried to follow me and one look sent him back down the stairs. I was tired of the mind games, of the sibling who were trying to survive under their father but yet not getting rid of the object of their torment. I was tired of the secrets and of the games.

“Are calling me Blondie?” Rebekah snaps and Elijah intervenes to stop the squabbling.

“You know she does, Nik,” Kol ignores Rebekah and I tune them out, choosing to chance Mikael’s appearance instead of stay in this house for another five minutes. I shrug on my coat and I get to the stairs before their voices start following me.

“Caroline, it’s not safe.” Elijah warns and I wave my hand, indicating that I heard him, but I’ll take my chances.

“Caroline, you can’t just do what you want.” Rebekah this time, but I keep going.

Ultimately they leave me alone and I walk the road at a slower pace even though I could already be in town right now, but it’s been awhile since I got to look at the town I grew up in. I can hear the river run a few miles out, the leaves shake with the wind, the end of a season coming toward us. Time has moved so fast in these last few weeks that I’m still wrapping my head around the changes. I hear his footsteps behind me and I knew I wouldn’t get out of the house without a chaperone.

“What has you on edge, Caroline?” His voice wraps around me and I pause, our feet seconds away from each other but yet it feels like miles with my mood.

“Like you never get angry, Klaus,” I fire back, looking toward the sun, watching as it lowers, the rays warming me up in the midday light. “Like you never need a break and are tired of all the voices surrounding you.” I start walking again, but he comes to my side this time. He’s waiting for me to open up to him, but I want to talk about something else.

“We kissed,” I point out and he looks toward me, “back in the hotel, you kissed me.” I peak at him, shy of looking at him full on. He nods, looking down, almost as if he is a shy school boy.

“I did.” He replies with a smirk in amusement but I’m not for smiles right now.

“Why?” I ask him. Sure, we kissed, but that didn’t tell me what I needed to hear. It could have been to comfort me for all I know.

“Why what?” He asks, confused by my open ended question.

“You were avoiding me, barely could stand to be around me and then out of nowhe-” He grasps my hand, pulling me back toward him and we stand in the road, covered in swirling leaves. I would say it’s romantic if I wasn’t falling apart for more answers.

“It wasn’t out of nowhere.” He searches my eyes, “is it so hard to believe I fancy you?” He asks, moving a lock of my hair to behind my ears, being so delicate for the first time besides New Orleans that I can hardly believe it’s him. “I enjoy you. Talking to you, seeing you; you make me want to be a better person, though I doubt I can be.” I relax under his words, finally learning of his heart and it comforts me. To know he really does feel something, to have it confirmed in words like that. He keeps going, “You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light,” wait, those words…

“Your father said the same thing,” I tell him, a quizzical look on his face as he takes in what I said.

“Not the reaction I thought of, but do go on.”

I have to think for a second. There was so much happening in that moments, I have to concentrate. What did he say… I close my eyes and put my fingers to my temples, trying to remember what he said… Klaus hand settles on my arm, supporting me. “I said ‘Elijah wouldn’t keep secrets’ and he laughed and told me “You’re full of light, the best pat…” I trail off trying to recall it and then it hits me and I know I must look as though a lightbulb went off but I can't help it. I grab on to Klaus’s arms, and he looks at me waiting, not surprised by my sudden outburst, “He said, ‘the best part is you don’t even know it.’ Klaus, he told me that.”

“You don’t even know it?” His eye wander around as he pulls from my embrace, starting his pacing as he thinks it over. “Could it be the things you’re able to see?” He asks to the air but I reply.

“He knows about it from Sam, and I told him about it when he first took us, it’s not a stretch that he’s done his research.” I offer and Klaus watches me suddenly, looking as if he sees inside my brain, to that which makes the Glows possible, but no one could know, could they?

“We need a witch.” He tells me, “we need someone able to do what Sam did.”

“Do you think Elijah or Rebekah would go for that? Exposing ourselves again, giving your dad the upper hand?” He looks downcasted but then I remember I know a witch. I’ve known her for a long time, so long that I don’t even call her by name but by endearment, “wait,” he turns to me, “What about Sheila Bennett?” I throw out. She was someone I would lay my life down for, someone I thought of as family.

“She’s a witch, I know,” he says and then lets out a frustrated sigh, “but she wouldn’t help us, Love. She doesn’t particularly like vampires.” His smile is mocking but I reach out to him, waiting for his hand and I step closer to him, smiling once more.

"But she’ll help me.” I tell him, convinced that I’m right.

**.**

“You can’t just expose things like that!” Rebekah hollers at me and I face her.

“I haven’t done anything,” I snap, “if you haven’t noticed, I came and told you guys what I _plan_ to do!”

“Rebekah is right, Caroline,” Elijah says, trying to keep us from ripping each other apart. “You can’t just decide things on your own.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” I side eye him and he makes a disgruntled sound as if he’s the one talking to a brick wall.

“She’s a tasty little thing, isn’t she, Nik.” Kol quips and I hear Klaus growl at him, warning him to watch his tongue, less he want it permanently removed.

“Caroline’s right about this, Elijah.” Klaus speaks up, “we know what we’re doing and our father has the upper hand. He knows something about what she can do.” Elijah listens to Klaus speak and his eyes flicker between us, resignation flowing in.

“Okay, then.” He admits defeat and I hear Rebekah huff, leaving the room. We hear her door slam above us. He shuts his eyes as this happens and then fixes them on me. “What I suspect is that Caroline could potentially use it as a weapon and I’m sure that is what Father knows as well.” I nod, happy to be taken seriously and not treated like a puppy who just wags its tail for attention. “I didn’t have time to really look it up, but while you were being held, I did find something on the ultimate weapon.”

Rebekah zooms back into the room, all the originals moving closer. “It’s called the white oak stake.”

“I thought we burned them all?” Klaus asks to the room, the conversation eclipsing me with information I didn’t know.

One of the siblings picks up on this, his playful nature losing his serious air as he drapes his arm around me. “You see, Darling,” I look at him, pretty much telling him to remove his arm but he only smirks, “Listen,” he says, “so, when our parents decided to make us immortal, so we never lost another sibling or what-have-you, they used a piece of a tree and that tree that granted us this immortal life, we discovered, was the only thing that could kill us, so we promptly burned it to the ground. Right, Brothers?” He asks the room.

“More or less, now remove your arm before I remove it.” Klaus threatens, once more about removing some parts of Kol’s body. I move away from him, his arm dropping to his side as I take in the story,

“So, your dad has a piece of the tree then?” I ask.

“Has to be, if it’s the ultimate weapon.” Rebekah answers, completely serious when it’s her head at stake, no pun intended. “Though I though we burnt them all down.”

“They still grow?” I ask the room, “what if some blood-thirsty, revenge-driven crazy got ahold of one?”

Elijah cracks a smile first and looks at Klaus, something passing between the two brothers that I can’t identify, a secret look sibling share I guess.

“Don’t worry, princess,” Kol teases as he leaves the room, “it’s a well kept secret for a reason, only family can know.” He winks at me and Klaus marches after him, probably to threaten his eyeballs.

“Take Klaus with you when you go to the Bennett witch.” Elijah says and I turn back to him as he stands, heading out of the dining room. He pauses for a second and then looks at me, “I do apologize for keeping it from you, Caroline.”

“Thank you.” I say, actually surprised that he would apologize but happy for it nonetheless.

“You were right in the yard and we can’t have Mikael pulling us apart now when it’s so close.” I feel my heart swell a little bit, in pride at Elijah words. He apologized and I was right? I won the lottery. He clears his throat, “anyway, take Klaus before he murders Kol.” I give him a nod and move out to find my… to find Klaus.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys ready for the BIG answer???? I hope it’s not a let down! I did a lot of research because I actually wasn’t going to mess with it after she became a vampire but I think it will be fun to include in the upcoming chapters as a way to advance the plot.

 

I knock on the door, not giving Klaus the chance to blow what could be our only hope. With Elijah unwilling to reach out to any of their witch allies in case of another Sam incident, he didn’t leave me much of a choice and honestly who could be more trustworthy than Grams? She watched me grow up with Bonnie and Elena, she was one of the first who took the glow seriously, even testing me. If there was a chance that it could be used as Elijah said, then it was something I needed to see through. 

The door opens and Grams stands in front of us, her eyes already weary and he gaze distrust even with me in front of her. “I don’t deal with Vampires.” She says, eyeing us over. Klaus seems a bit shocked in her response, but I’ve know this women for more than half my life. 

“Please, Grams.” I plead with her, putting on my best puppy dog eyes and I see her soften under them. “I know this isn’t how you wanted to see me again, but I need your help.” I see her take in a breath in preparation, her eyes distrustful on Klaus and then back to me, her grand-daughter’s best friend.

“Does Bonnie know?” She asks me and I shake my head, “Very well then,” She invites us in and I sit down on the couch by the window, Klaus sticking close behind me, not sitting. Grams heads into the kitchen and I hear her tinkering around.

“Is the the part where she reads our fortunes, Love?” Klaus quips behind me and I shush him, looking at him over my shoulder. “This is our best chance and you know it.” He looks down at me, doubtful. “I trust her, Klaus.” I say with more force and he looks away, toward the kitchen where cups are clinking. “She’s more powerful than you can imagine.”

“And how do you know that?” He asks me and I look forward as well. 

“A feeling,” I tell him, watching her figure come into view. I hop up, moving toward her to grab the tray and she smiles at me, laughing under her breath as she lets it go to go back and grab the teapot and bringing it to the coffee table where I left the tray. She sits on the couch next me, not moving for the tea just yet and holds out her hand for mine, which I quickly give. 

“I need you to let down all guards, Caroline.” She tells me and I relax completely under her motherly gaze. “That’a girl.” She purrs and I feel the edges of my mind go fuzzy under her magic. It feels strange and a part of me wants to kick her out. I try to push it down, to let her in. I can control it fully, I have too. I don’t want to hurt Grams. Bonnie would never forgive me for one and I wouldn’t either. “Calm down, Caroline.” I hear her voice echo in my head and I struggle to regulate my breathing as it gets more difficult.

“Grams, pull back,” I grit through my teeth and I feel her recede, and I’m able to calm down a little bit. “I’m sorry.” I say, looking into her warm brown eyes, waiting to comfort the girl who fell off her bike so many years ago. 

“When you first came to me,” she smiles tenderly, patting my hand and putting it back on my lap, “I thought maybe you were sensitive and were just seeing auras but you were adamant that they were only one color, just this bright yellow and so I thought that maybe your mind just wasn’t ready for the different emotions,” She laughs to herself, getting up and pouring us tea. “But it seems I was wrong.” She gives me a warm smile and I know we made the right choice coming to Gram. She hands us our cups, though she parts with Klaus with a warning look as she thinks for a second before continuing, “with auras, colors are everything.” She stresses, “each one a different mood and if your mind can handle it, you can manipulate them and who knows what you could do.” She laughs to herself and I wonder what memory popped up from her long life. “But now, your mind let me in and I can see it clearly.” She smiles at me but address Klaus, “what she sees is someone’s spirit energy.” 

“Spirit energy?” I hear from behind me, “that souls give off?” He asks, the conversation going over my head and I don’t know why. 

I grasp one of Grams hands and she turns her attention back to me, talking to me this time. “I don’t know how or why but I think because you are no longer human, you can potentially expand it and use it, as you heal like him now.” She pauses, switching her gaze from me to Klaus and back again, as she runs a hand over my hair, “As for how, I think it will take her time-“

“We don’t have time!” Klaus urges, the threat of Mikael above us all and yet we both turn to glare at him.

Grams clicks her tongue, “Well, then she’ll have to concentrate, won’t she?”

“Calm down, Klaus.” I tell him at the same time she chides him and he turns his fiery eyes on me, though I know it’s mostly out of worry. “I know we need to figure this out before Mikael but we have to listen to her to do so,” I reason with him and he nods belatedly, taking the reason in my words as I turn back to Gram, “Why couldn’t you see this before, Gram?” I ask her and she looks at me with her kind eyes. 

“Because you were human.” She tells me. I believe her. A change in status could result in a change of possibilities. Without the threat of death looming over me, my brain could have the chance to form new abilities based off of that. 

“How can I manipulate it?” I ask her, wondering if it was like witchcraft but by the shake of her head, I assume it’s different. 

“What I can tell you is, that unlike my magic, this comes from within you, my dear. It’s not about nature and the earth, but about your own will and that of others.” I listen carefully to what she tells me, “With extreme mental focus, Caroline, and concentrated emotions, you might be able to pull on it.” She theorizes and I wonder where she comes up with the ideas. If she’s basing it off experience. “I have never dealt with someone who could have this ability and still not have a single drop of witches blood.” She laugh and the grows serious instantly, “Caroline, you say you only see yellow with these energies?” She asks and I nod. 

“Based off the aura’s yellow energy, it usually means self energy, which would make sense if she has to draw from herself or other, and also her willpower, as we all know how stubborn she is.” Klaus speaks up behind me and I turn to look at him, wide-eyed at his intelligence and also a little offended at his last comment and he smirks at me. “My mother was a witch, Sweetheart.” He places his hand on my shoulder and I grin up at him, blinded by him more than I should be. So many things I have yet to learn about him. 

“Correct, Niklaus.” Gram says and continues on in her explanation. “I’ve seen witches use auras against their owners and I’m wondering if it’s the same principal.” They bounce ideas off of each other for awhile like this with me listening to them. 

“So Caroline has her own form of this thing she sees?” Klaus asks and Gram nods, “but only if what it is is like an aura?” He completes the thought, coming to sit on the arm of the couch, his leg touching my arm.

“Yes. If not, then I don’t think she’ll be able to use it to protect herself, but she could still manipulate others with it, if your father’s and Elijah’s assumptions are correct.” She continues on like a teacher giving a lecture almost and Klaus is no longer heated in a hurry but listening as if he’s the star student and I sit back and listen, comfortable to just hear them go back and forth, knowing I did not have enough knowledge to chime in, but I knew enough to keep up, though, I do wonder how she knows so much about what is going on. Was it the peek into my head or was it her witchy senses?

“So spirit energy… the abilities are limitless then, are they not?”

“Not quite.” Gram laughs, “it would depend on Caroline. She is not a witch, she can’t say an incantation or cast spells.” He nods. “But with her state and quick healing, she should be able to do a lot still.” 

“Could she learn to manifest it?” He asks and I wonder if it’ll be like those old cartoons I watched growing up with characters shoot beams out of their palms and I almost laugh at the ridiculousness of it. 

“I think it is possible but she would have to train for a long time.” Grams says, “for now, I think it would be best to see what she can do with it with her own will.” She turns to me, a smile that hides a thousand different meanings. “We already know one of her abilities.” I perk up and so does Klaus.

“You do?”  I ask, eager to hear what she has to say.

“You should know as well.” She picks up her tea cup, sipping it and keeping me waiting. “You kept trying to push me out and I doubt that wasn’t the first time.” She tells me and I remember Sam trying to access my mind, getting the briefest of glances before being thrown out, knocking me out afterward. I look toward Grams, confused but also knowing what she meant. “We call that a Psychic Shield,” she explains. “Basically, you are resistant to any form of mental intrusion, including psychic or emphatic powers.” 

“So compulsion?” Klaus asks, and she thinks for a second.

“I think it would depend on if it came from you and your siblings or your father, but I bet if Caroline shielded herself enough, none of you could break through her.” Klaus smiles at me proudly like I just won a trophy, squeezing my shoulder. “Because those who seek to control the mind are incapable of manipulating the shielded.” Grams says to me, making sure I understand the implication behind those words. 

“Anything else beyond that?” I ask her, wondering if any of the aura stuff could play into it. 

“You might be able to conceal yourself with it if you possess the energy that manifests around others.” 

“Shouldn’t I?”

“You should, but you’ve never looked at yourself that way, also you always said that it was danger levels you see, which means you’re seeing energies emitted for protection.”

“This is confusing.” I reach for my tea as my company laughs at my statement, Klaus’s thumb rubs circles into my shoulder and I know he’s trying to be comforting but this is a lot of information and a lot of pressure. 

“I thin it best, for now, that you focus on seeing what you do with bending it to your will.” I look at Grams as she speaks. “You have such strong willpower, Caroline. You’re so strong headed, that I believe it will be the easiest path.  With heightened willpower, not only can you resist Compulsion, but your mind will stay yours, no one will be able to interfere.”

“She also learns at a faster rate,” Klaus adds in, “she was able to take down three vampires in New Orleans while starved of blood and tortured.” Grams looks at him with a look that pretty much says how dare I ever be put in that position but also pride for me.

“Yes, you learn at a faster rate, also adding to your survivability and resistance.”

“It would help if she was less fearless.” Klaus quips at me and I turn to smack him.

“That fearlessness is part of what makes her so undying loyal, Niklaus.” Grams berates him before I can say anything. She praises me, grasping my hand, “She’ll be even more loyal and protective of someone to the very end now because of her vampiric abilities.” The look she gives me tells me our time is over. That she’s told me all she could. “Caroline, if you practice, there is a chance you can turn someone's energy against them, which means you must have a tight grip on your emotions. Tighter than before if you attempt this.” She warns me and I try to understand. I can never go off in front of Elena or Bonnie, nor my family. The chance that I could hurt them, that they could die if I get angry…

“I understand.” I tell her, “Thank you, Grams.” I lean over and wrap my arms around her, thankful of her guidance and support. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re nearing the finale soon! I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the story! I hope to have it up as soon as I can!


	25. Chapter 25

“I can’t do this anymore!” I stress out, the exertion would kill me if my hunger didn’t. Klaus stands across from me on the back lawn. We had been safe at the Mikaelson Mansion in my small town, earning two months of incident free training. But it was exhausting. I went to sleep with a headache almost every night, I drank more than my fair share of the blood stocked in the fridge. 

“You can do this, Caroline,” I hear from the porch, Kol was watching me train, interested in ‘this BAMF mojo’, as he put it. I think he’s watched to many Mike Myers movies.

“I really can’t.” I whine and Klaus fixes me with a stare. It was usually Elijah I did this with as he has more patience, but him and Rebekah are out of town at the moment, tracking down the white oak stake which we fear Mikael already has, that or to find a White Oak tree and carve their own. One for each of us, but they weren’t the only ones destroying the trees so it’s a possible dead end. 

“Love, focus,” He says to me with those strong eyes and all I can think is how I barely see the walls of my own room anymore and then feel the heat in my face, blush probably spreading over my cheeks and I look away before he has the chance to see the turn in my thoughts. “Come on, Caroline, I know you can.” 

“It’s been two months, Klaus, and I haven’t done anything,” I turn back, my mood back to being the pathetic sidekick. 

He comes up to me, grasping both of my hands, suddenly changing into a supportive boyfriend than an annoyed coach. “But you have,” he’s earnest as he looks at me, trying to find something. “You just have to remember how you did it.” 

“How I did what?” I ask him, pleading with him to give me the answers none of us have.

Kol marches down, on his face sits a wicked grin and he taps Klaus on the shoulder. “Move aside, Nik, I got this.” We both stare at him, then exchange looks with each other.

“This takes finesse and focus, neither of which you have.” I say, poking at his ego, but honestly I had never really seen him lift a finger. I honestly wanted to know what he thinks he can do. Annoy me to death?

He ignores me, talking to Klaus, “but just know, that when you feel like tearing off any off my appendages, I’m trying to be a good brother and help.” His hand rests along Klaus shoulders as his elder brother eyes him, doubt radiating from his gaze but Klaus steps back and Kol steps in front of me. “Please forgive me, Darling.” He bows before hitting me in the stomach.

The pain sparks in my stomach and I double over, choking at the sudden shock. I hear Klaus yell at Kol but Kol yells back, a kick landing against my hip. I snap again, just like in the warehouse, looking up at him, my hair falling every which way across my face, pulling my leg under me to get up before he can kick me again. He laughs like it’s the reaction he wants and comes at me, his hand forcing my shoulder down into the grass, his other hand around my neck as I struggle with his shoulders, trying to force him up. “Stop!” I cry out, my hand repeatedly bang against his chest, trying to get him to lay off. 

You’re so weak!” He yells in my face, his eyes wild. “You dare try to be affiliated with us when you can’t even protect yourself?” I try to find purchase lower, grabbing his shirt and pushing but nothing. “How dare you sully our name!” He screams as I feel a break spread in my shoulder from his grip and I cry out and then it hits me, Kol is a man… and all men have the same weak spot. Remembering what my mom told me if I was ever in a similar predicament, i move my hands to his shoulders, and then rotate my waist, my knee bending forcefully as he groans and his face slacks, I push him off me, and get to my feet, rolling my already healed shoulder. 

“That's...” he breathes out, his face red from the sudden pain as I grin above, proud of myself. “Cheating,” he finishes, groaning as he grabs that area, curling into fetal position.

“What exactly were you attempting, Little Brother?” Klaus voice appears as his body come next to me, his eye looking me over, a hand combing through my wild hair. 

“I was trying to push her, to make her mind react to the danger.” His voice is stronger, still a strain as he gets up, limping toward the house. “I need ice.” Is the last we hear from him before the door closes behind him. I can’t help but laugh a bit, happy that I outsmarted the smart-ass of the house. 

“He has a point,” Klaus mutters next to me and I eye him wearily, the mood shifting as he grows more pensive. 

“You wouldn’t.” Looking at him now, I think he would dare. He wasn’t like Elijah who coached me by leading me, through meditation. He had a temper and was better with hands on training. “You’d have to hurt me, you realize that?” I ask him, wondering if he’d be okay with that. With attacking me. He ruffles the hair on the back of his head, thinking about it. 

We both knew Kol had a solid idea but he didn’t think it through far enough. Klaus, on the other hand, did. “You’ll probably have to break my bones and leave me utterly powerless, can you do that?” I ask him, wondering if I was really okay with this, if I was entertaining this idea. I know Grams had said something about duress, that maybe only in a critical state could I do something and it’s not like we could just wait until Mikael showed up to find out. Also, it wasn’t like he was doing it out of ill-intent and I would heal no matter what and what if it was the only way to unlock whatever the ability was? 

“Is it the only way?” He asks aloud, hoping for me to dissuade him, to say he’s wrong and my original way would be best but I can’t anymore. The look in his eyes tell me that this is the last thing he wants to do but I know we can’t avoid it. Grams _had_ said something about extreme duress. If Elijah was here I’d ask him or Rebekah… but Kol fights with brute strength which is easy to think around. Klaus doesn’t. He’s strategic and calculating. 

“We’ve been at this for two months, Klaus. If it was going to work my way… it would have already.” I answer him before squaring my shoulders, facing him head on. “Do your worst.” He shakes his head at me and I want him to attack before I lose my resolve but he doesn’t. He looks torn. I drop my shoulders barely after raising them and walk to him, laying my hands on his arms, capturing his eyes. “It’s okay.” I tell him, making my voice soft. “We need to do this.” Trying to convince him to do his worst to me is not what I thought we would do in our relationship, but here we are. I move my hands to cup his face, making his eyes look into mine. 

I see the trust in them, the impossible decision. He brings up one of his hands, shifting my own. I feel his lips on my palm, the careful kiss that he feeds adoration through. “It’ll make me stronger,” I whisper, believing that we were going to do this. He nods and I know it’s the last thing on his mind because he doesn’t want to do this. 

“You have to make me believe it,” I tell him and he shuts his eyes. The torture he’s inflicted on others to be turned on me… never it our wildest dreams did we think this would come to pass. His eyes flash once with resolve and then it’s like he disconnects. I don’t see the man I know as he jaw clenches and he uses my arms as leverage, twisting me around. I hear the snap as pain blossoms. I see sparkles in the air, my vision darkening, my body in shock. I would be surprised in my arm is still attached. 

His foot connects with my knee and I cry out again. Kol was child's play compared to Klaus. “Klaus,” it comes out broken and I pant in pain, I see the blood through my leggings, the gray marred with red. I try to get up but his foot connects to my back and I sprawl forward. I realize I never truly knew what he was capable of, what he could do, what they all could do. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, feeling his eyes sweep over my broken form, circling me like a wolf.

I take another breath and then I pull my good arm under me, lifting myself off the ground.  _ It’s not enough.  _ I find my footing, holding my bad arm steady with my good arm, limping into a standing position. Right now, Klaus is my enemy. He’s trying to kill me and he will if I don’t retaliate. I focus and force the pain away, I watch his eyes, staying in the fight. It wouldn’t work if I just let him pummel me and I wasn’t weak like that. 

His eyes are like fire. I see the gold brightening, the wolf side his father failed to keep down coming to play. He hardens like steel, slowly losing himself to his pent up fury, where it was coming from I didn’t know, or care, at the moment. Walls surround him, separating him from me, completely removed from feeling. I wonder if he would come back when I bled at his feet.  _ God, I hope this works _ . I rush him, using the little combat knowledge my mother gave me, using the gymnastics I had from cheer leading and I got in a few good hits, using my legs more than my arms. 

But the victory doesn’t last as he breaks my arm again, kicking the same spot, knocking me to the ground. I see the blood running down his face from my high-kick and I feel pride but then his hands are at my throat and I wonder how much I have to go through before it kicks on, before something happens and I feel the tearing in side, something popping, my head woozy and then I see the spots dance in front of my eyes, see the world turn as I feel my consciousness give out. 

_ It’s not fair _ , I think. Why can’t I do something? Why can’t I reach it? That’s the last thing I know as I feel a snap, my body giving out. 

**.**

_ Oww… _ My hands finds my head, the banging in it worse than when I was a human. I blink a few times, looking around the room, Klaus’s room, I note. The dark green walls greeting me as opposed to my dull blue wall. He wasn’t in here though. I tried to extend my hearing but my head opposed it, the pulsing in was that as if a ringing spell was casted on me. 

“Caroline,” Klaus. I open my eyes and he’s holding out blood for me, which I greedily drink. He’s shirtless, I note, appreciating the view which doesn’t go unnoticed as evident by his smirk, but something about him is off. His chest was red and there were patches along his arms as well. I set the cup down, bringing myself to the edge of the mattress where he stands, trialing my fingers along his skin, touching them, though they were trying to fade.

“What happened?” I ask, moving my body closer as I look all around him, seeing similar patches along his back as well. One of them crept up his neck, his ear bright red. “Did you get attacked?” I ask, my voice low, curiosity flooding through me.  _ What happened while I was asleep?  _

He bends down, his hands on either side of me as his face obstructs me vision. “If this is bad, don’t look outside.” He tells and then I’m trying to get to my feet, trying to get outside to see what he was talking about but his arms wound around my waist pulling me back into his lap as I got around him, his nose nuzzling into my shoulder. “Just be thankful I heal faster than the ground.” He makes it sound like a joke but I know better. I’ve been here with him for months now. I can read him and my hand moves to his head, brushing against his hair. 

I don’t yet know what happened, but I also feel somewhat different as the pulsing in my head calms down, like there’s a new part of me. I wish I could look at it, examine it. Maybe when Elijah gets back, he can help me with the meditation technique but for now Klaus was taking up my focus. I was slowly forgetting his comment under his influence.

His lips were hot on my skin, his kiss radiating through my blood, singing to me as if he were a song bird and I was the muse. I tilt my head to the side, and he bites a little bit, not enough to break the skin, but enough to send painful pleasure into my nerves and I can’t help but moan against it. I can feel him already and I get up, turning my body, straddling his lap. The sudden need to be close to him overwhelming and I can tell he feels the same if his wandering hands are any indication. The fight in the backyard is forgotten. 

His hands trail designs against my back, under my shirt, tingles spreading across my skin. I bite his lower lip, sucking hard enough for him to let out a moan of pleasure, lighting me up. I feel the material of my shirt raise against my skin, followed by the touch of his hands on my bare skin. I can’t help the sigh when I feel his skin against mine. 

His fingers have other ideas as they work the clasp to my bra, snapping it off easily. His lip travel down and I lean back, letting his mouth follow his path, his tongue leaving a trail that his kiss follows. He pulls away and I think he’s planning to tease me but when I look at him, opening my eyes to protest, he’s staring past me, trying to get his breathing back to normal. “The door’s open,” I almost laugh at the absurdity of his comment before I look toward the door and he’s right.  _ That could have been bad. _

I lean back down, capturing his lips with mine, his fingers holding tighter on to my waist as I rock against him. I pull back very slowly, keeping my chest flush against his, his eyes fluttering under the pressure. “So close it,” I tell him and he smirks at me, slowly moving me off his lap and closing the door.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has smut, you've been warned

I lay in Klaus’s arms, the sun low in the sky. His chin rests against my shoulder, my back to his chest, the red splotches barely there. I feel his arms tighten and I remember the first time we were together. It was two weeks or so after we returned from New Orleans, everyone was running around, trying to find leads on Mikael’s whereabouts, leads on the white oak, anything that could help us. Elijah was contacting others of the supernatural persuasion, loyal to the Mikaelson siblings, for help in the fight that was coming, that Mikael would attack when he wanted because he knew that they were in Mystic Falls and the only thing keeping him from attacking them was his plan, something was missing or who knows what. I didn’t pay attention to the full semantics of it, as I was being sent out too, fighting witches sometimes or baby vampires just turned for Mikael's cause.

I was learning to protect myself and also training at the same time. I usually went out with Kol, as Klaus was always putting me behind him. He didn’t care if I could protect myself or not, he was overly protective of me. Elijah, always mad at Klaus putting me before the mission and I came back frustrated, learning nothing more than what I left with, so he started sending me with Rebekah and Kol, but together, those two attracted too much attention and so he split them up. It was like a war, being on the front lines, attacking those who dared tried to take us down.

That day I had left with Rebekah, coming home with the moon overhead, our clothes stained with witches blood. Some witches had tried to cast a spell from some crypt, drawing on the souls of the dead to try and weaken our household. They barely had time to react as Rebekah and I tore off their heads, though one did try to be crafty. I realized once more that this world was so much darker, that it wasn’t all training and living a thousand years, it was battle and bloody. I felt pride in protecting the family that had somehow become mine.

I just got out of the shower, my hair dripping water and a towel wrapped around my body when my door opened, a soft click of the lock meeting my ears. I came out and his eyes trailed me. I don’t know quite what it was but that night, when I saw his eyes looking at me, scared for me, his eyes glowed with pride as they met mine. He was proud of me and what I accomplished. I kept the family safe and I was a part of that.

He didn’t wait. It wasn’t slow and magical, though it also wasn’t fast and rough. It was a mixture, somewhere in between. When he kissed me, his hands wrapping around me, tangling into my hair and gripping my waist almost painfully, I held onto him in equal measure. His jacket was still on, the soft fabric bunching under my touch as I grasped the lapels, pushing them away and off him. It was a quiet sound when it hit the floor. I could still smell the blood on him.

After that, we spent more time in each others room, not fully combining, still liking that we had our own space but we never really slept alone, unless one was running around. Sometimes he’s gentle and other times rough, sometimes it’s against a wall, in a nook, a secret place, like once when I had just returned and he couldn’t wait… I was still angry that he ruined my leggings, they were so comfortable.

Sometimes it’s a spare moment like we’ll be on stake out in a hotel. It’s strange how sensual it can be. I’ll feel his hand on my waist, his tongue on my neck, finding that spot as he tries to leave his mark. His hand moves down into the waistband of my pants and in no time he’ll have me wrapped around his finger, distracting me.

He’s dark in some ways and he likes exposing me to it, seeing my reaction and how I fit in with his. He calls me a bright light in the darkness. The memories fade as I feel Klaus’s teeth on my ear, lightly tugging. “Again?” I ask and he chuckles, tightening his grip around me.

“I fear it must wait,” he sounds groggy and I wonder if he fell asleep. “We should talk with the family,” he groans, turning over, his body on display for my eyes only and I wonder how he kept away from me so long with these feelings inside of him, it had to be torture. I wonder what I would’ve done if I was still human, if this could’ve happened.

I trail my fingers down his torso, barely brushing his hip bone, “do we?” I ask, trying to make my voice sultry but I know it sounded funny but the look he gives me means he’s also entertaining the thought. Klaus was only here because Elijah was out and when Elijah came home, Klaus and Kol would leave for a week at least.

His hand comes up, curving around my shoulder, pushing me back down into the bed, his lips searing into mine. I feel him against my inner thigh as he moves his body in between my legs and can’t help not wanting to wait and be patient as he moves his hand between us. I move my hips, gasping for breath in his arms as that stupid self-satisfied smile on his face appears as he stares down. I want him inside me now.

His lips trail down my throat, a gasp escaping me as his hands play around my body, feather light touches on the most sensitive areas. “Klaus,” it’s a breathy whisper and he growls, loving his name on my lips. It’s possessive and yet erotic… he likes knowing I want him. _Only_ him. His lips center on my chest and with the help of his hand, he pulls each nipple erect.

“They can wait,” he decides and I pull him back up to my lips, nodding in agreeance as he moves forward slowly, the tip of him brushing my inner lips. He pulls back from the kiss to watch me below him as I react. I can’t help it, everytime seems like something new. Like when every year it gets cold and yet everyone is surprised that it’s cold out.

This time it was gentle, his head bowing down on my shoulder with pleasure, my nails scratching lightly along his back as it elicits sounds from me that urge him faster and he refuses. He enters me slowly again and again, testing both of our restraint. I kiss his neck, biting lightly and I feel him trying to control his moments, the need for release fighting the need for pleasure. I pull his face toward me and he places his arm above my head to keep his balance, his other hand laying on my chest, lightly turning and tugging on my nipple, adding to the sensation as my legs spread wider to give him more reach, to help him reach far into me.

As he growls, picking up speed, something in my mind wakes up, a new feeling and then the glow surrounds us, his glow bathing on me. It’s the first time I accidentally let it go but I don’t try to pull it back. It wasn’t like it could hurt me now and I like seeing him bathed in light, something opposite from what he’s always insisting. I leave that thought as he moves faster, his lips capturing mine again, his tongue in my mouth and I meet him with my hips.

He wouldn’t be able to be so gentle for long, as the feeling keeps building and his need to see me spent, gasping for breath under him. That need to just have it a little rough, to be filled with pleasure by each other. I never had to fake it with Klaus, never had to put on an act, because he always made sure that I got off, either with his tongue, his fingers, or his…. He always made sure.

A chill floats across my skin, the pressure inside building as he goes faster, moving with me as I closed my eyes, hips meeting each thrust, his kisses more searing and his hand gripping my breast so hard it turned pain to pleasure. My hands grasps his hair, tugging slightly in warning, letting him know I was close.

With a strangled cry, I feel myself clench up, my entire body fraught with tension as he keeps going, faster now, the pulsing inside me urging him on, bringing him closer, and I feel like a crazy person who can’t enough as he finishes, wondering if this was our honeymoon stage, where we couldn’t get enough of each other, where we didn’t tire of learning about each other. Would he still be like this fifty years from now? In a century or two, would he still look at me the same way, as if I was his sun? Would I see him as the moon circling me?

“That was hot,” he quips and I laugh, pulling the glow back so it would disappear, “no-”

We hear a solid bang on his door and we both turn toward it, his thought cut off as the banging continues. “Will you two give it a rest already!” Kol’s voice yells and I forgot he was here. I can’t help it as the giggles spill out of me, filling the air with them as Klaus rolls off of me, laughing at his brother as well, his comment forgotten.

“I guess it’s time to get up,” I groan as I sit up, moving my body from under the sheet as I feel his eyes follow me to the shower.

“I take one later,” he muses, as I turn back to smile at him, how he knows that I prefer to shower alone. It’s really not as sexy as all the books say.

**.**

“You two are insufferable.” Kol pouts at the counter, whiskey in his glass as I walk into the kitchen with a skip in my step. “First you demolish the garden, Rebekah is going to kill you, by the way, and then you make me listen to your sexcapades,” I look at him, as I grab a bottle of water, feeling the need for it even though I didn’t technically need to drink it.

“Your garden?” I ask as I look past him into the backyard.

Just past the door, down the steps the grass was green, but a little beyond and it was wrecked. The grass burnt, an uneven circle around the fighting area. “What the hell…” My voice gets away from me as I walk closer, my hair damp on my neck as Kol keeps complaining about my sex life, probably wanting to bicker with someone as Rebekah was gone, but I walked across the linoleum.

The sun was setting now as I kneel down, the grass soft under my knee. I reach out with my hand, touching the black, burnt grass. My hand is cover in black dust, ash. I get up, walking toward the center, bending down again. I see the indention, the cracks spreading like a spider web. “I did this?” I whisper unconsciously, my hand trailing along the lines.

“Yea, you did it after Klaus knocked you out.” I feel Kol’s gaze on my back. “I was watching from the kitchen, surprised you could even land hits on him, and then he took you down!” He explains it like it was a scene in an action film. “It was epic!” He was making hand gestures as he told me the replay. “You body went kind of slack for a second and Klaus started to try to pick you up but you suddenly grabbed onto him!” I keep my eyes on the blackened grass, “I was on the edge of my seat,” he starts talking faster and I struggle to follow him in my confused state, “I don’t even know what you did but you locked eyes and there was this light and then I came outside to check on you guys,” he shakes his head, clicking his tongue, “had to drag you both inside,” I look back at him, “no thanks needed,” I scoff and he continues. “Klaus had burns all over and the ground was like this. You were completely out though. If you were still human, you probably would’ve died.”

“Are you done, Kol?” Klaus joins us in the backyard, his hair now damp, his arms covered with a light jacket, probably to hide the lasting red marks.

“Did I hurt you?” I ask him, dusting off my hands. The way he looks at me like I asked the most ridiculous question.

“Love, I hurt you,” he says coming toward me, “you were just defending yourself.” He says, comforting me, a kiss on my forehead to reassure me.

“Not again, please.” Kol suddenly whines and we both stare at him, “Nik, I’m begging you.” Kol starts off, grabbing the sides of his head and I can’t help but roll my eyes at his childish antics, a little of the tension fading, “You two are going to drive me mad! Completely insane,” he keeps spouting all the way back into the house. “He used to be all tough, vicious and now he’s pudding! _Pudding_!” His voices fades away as we come back to the situation outside.

“I’ll remove that loose tongue one day.” Klaus’s remark chases after him but my eyes stay on his covered arms.

“So I did this?” I ask and he nods, rubbing my shoulder.”I burned you?” I still can’t quite comprehend it even under my own gaze.

“Caroline, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He says but I don’t want to hear that right now. I told him, before we started this, I said that we should find out before I hurt any of them and I could’ve…

“What if I killed you?” My eyes start burning and Klaus looks away for a moment, thinking something I can’t reach before returning.

“You can’t. The only thing that can kill us is the white oak.” He tells me, running his hand through my hair.

“What if I can do worse?” I ask, trying to keep the tears in.

“You can’t.” He looks at the ground under our feet, “This is probably the most you’ll be able to do,” I wonder how he knows if there’s never been another like me but he looks so confident that it’s hard not to believe him.

I wrap my arms around him, pulling myself into his warmth, “no wonder I feel different.” I say aloud and I feel his head move, looking down at me as he winds his arms around my waist, locking them together against my back. I pull away slightly to look at him. “When I first woke up, my head was hurting like an eight on the pain scale.” I feel like he’s writing a journal in his mind about my abilities with to way he looks at me. “It happened again when we were in bed,” I flush red just thinking about it, looking away from him, resting on his shoulder. “The glow came out even though I didn’t mean to release it.” He waits and I can tell he’s playing connect the dots. Something new to figure out about me everyday.

“I wonder,” he shifts and I look back up, “when I said it was hot,” he starts and I nod, “I meant that _I_ was hot.” I tilt my head, looking at him quizzically, “like as if my insides were heating up.”

“What?” I ask him, trying to search his eyes but he was inside his mind, not letting me in. As I think about it, I let him go, a bit scared to be near him and though he hesitates, he pulls away.

“Caroline,” He says my name but I can’t look at him.

I stare at my hands… did that blast thing really unlock something in the glow? I can hurt people if I can’t control whatever we unlocked. My eyes turn to Klaus. _Klaus…_ I move away, toward the door and I hear his feet following me. Elijah wouldn’t be back for a few days still so I couldn’t discuss it with him and Klaus was supposed to go out tomorrow, some werewolves causing havoc, so he would be safe from me and hopefully I could get it under control. I don’t like the idea of not being able to be close to him but I won’t hurt him again. I would have to figure it out. “The Bennet witch said that you would need to control your emotions if you did this,” He says and I know he’s right. His hand relaxes on my shoulders and I jump like a skittish cat. “You’ll figure it out, sweetheart.” He tells me and I wish I had that confidence.

When we were like that, I didn’t really keep any guard up, I didn’t have too. I freely expressed my emotions, especially when it came to Klaus. We fought often and we made up. He was sweet to me, more than I thought possible… but when were in bed, the glow… it wasn’t him warming up from exertion. It was me. I was hurting him. “I need to be alone.” I murmur and go to my room. I don’t look back at him, I close off my hearing, everything.


	27. Chapter 27

“Caroline, I have to go.” I hear his voice outside my door, knowing he’s giving me my space. I hear him breathing, waiting for me to open it. But I can’t. What if I hurt him? What if it’s too much and he turns to ash under my touch. I don’t even know how I’m doing it. “I’ll see you when I get back.” He’s dejected. I can hear it in his voice. He’s angry at himself for telling me, for causing this. It’s not his fault and it’s not mine. I was made like this, this stupid glow that’s a part of me, strangling me. Now I can’t even touch the man I… I bury my head in my arms, hearing Kol talk to Klaus, asking if I was okay. Klaus doesn’t reply. 

I pull myself off my bed, the hardwood cold beneath my toes and I trudge to my door, opening it slightly, the house seemingly quiet but I can hear the rustling of jackets. My feet guides me before my mind catches up, “Klaus!” I call through the house and then he’s at the bottom of the stair, his look of unease erasing as I take them two at a time, flinging myself into his grasp. “It’s not your fault,” I tell him, needing him to know I don’t blame him, that I won’t. He didn’t do anything wrong.

“Oh come on!” I hear Kol complain, “I’ll be in the car,” following the slamming of the front door, but Klaus ignores hims, pushing my hair out of my eyes as my feet settle onto the floor.

“I turned you into this, made it possible.” He says and his eyes won’t focus on mine. I was trapped in my own pity-party and I completely overlooked him. I know that Klaus has a fear of rejection, it’s what kept us apart before it crumbled down when he realized I wouldn’t turn him away, but now it came back without me realizing it. When I shut myself away, it came back, because he thinks he made it possible for me to be this. 

“You saved me from a painful life and a premature death,” I tell him, knowing it’s true. “This is the life I was meant to live and if I had a choice to go back, I wouldn’t.” I pull his face toward mine, squeezing him between my hands, forcing his attention. “When you get home, I’ll have it so under control, you’ll be sick of me.” I say with a short peck of the lips and he’s grinning again. I wonder why I found him so scary in the beginning when he’s a puppy who just has gotten the short end of the stick. 

I wrap my arms around his neck, and he responds. “I’ll be home soon,” I nod and let him go. The big house was quiet for once and I was alone for a while. I had meant what I said. I wouldn’t sit in my room, crying. I would get it under control and use it to to help stop Mikael. Klaus wouldn’t die because of me and I wouldn’t hurt those I care about again.

**.**

“Found her!” I hear from the door, Rebekah’s voice.  _ They’re home! _ I rush out of Elijah’s office to explain everything that had happened when Rebekah stops me. “Care to explain my rubbish of a garden?” She says and I push past her and her attitude.  

  
“Elijah!” He comes down the stairs, buttoning up a new shirt and Rebekah angirly chases after me. “I did something.” I say and he nods.

“I saw.” He walks past us, heading toward his office I had been in, meditating to try and figure this out. “What happened?” He asks, grabbing some type of journal and flicking through it. 

“I don’t know.” I say, slipping into the chair. “I need your help  _ if _ you promise not to keep anything from me.” I ask of him and he glances up at me.

“Start from the beginning.” He says and Rebekah slips in, occupying a different chair, not wanting to be left out.

**.**

“Okay, try again.” He says and I reel back my control, the glow fading into view. Rebekah sits in front of me, snickering at my failure. Elijah had assured me that originals can only die from one thing and it wasn’t Caroline’s interesting ability. Yet, no matter how she tried, she couldn’t turn Rebekah’s glow against her. She sighs heavily and drops her shoulders. “How did you say this worked against Klaus?” Elijah asks, taking a step closer.

“She didn’t,” Rebekah smirks, her lips curling into an evil grin. I give her a hard stare and she laughs. “And my garden?” She asks, moving on. “Are you sure Kol is reliable?” 

“Rebekah, hush or leave.” Elijah scolds, moving toward his desk for the journal on top. A journal about me. Rebekah stills not wanting to be not included and looks away. “The Bennett witch said it had to do with your emotions, right?” I nod, making an affirmative sound as I cross my legs up into the big chair. “And the garden happened when you were unconscious?” Another nod. 

“I wonder if it has to do with the will-power aspect… if it’s coming from that.” He muses aloud, his eyes glancing at me as I think on it too. Grams did say that the willpower was a big player. It let me survive longer, learn faster, and the burnt ground was after Klaus has taken me out. 

“Kol said that I pulled Klaus to me but I have no memory of it,” I say, adding to his thoughts. “That would be a survival thing wouldn’t it?” I ask and he nods. 

“Does this mean we need to replicate that?” Rebekah asks, veiled enthusiasm in her voice. I look over at her and so does Elijah, reject her idea. “What? You’d let her try to boil my insides but I can’t land a few punches?” She grumbles and Elijah runs a hand down his face.

“She can’t actually hurt us, Rebekah.” They bicker back and forth and something strikes me. My emotions were definitely heightened when I accidentally started heating up Klaus but Rebekah and I weren’t even fighting or arguing. There were no more bitter emotions between us besides us both wanting to be in charge. To all of the family, even when I was angry at them, like Elijah keeping secrets and Klaus avoiding me, Kol being to invasive and Rebeakah being a general pain, I didn’t harbor any bad will towards them. The only one who could make my emotions run wild in any form was Klaus. 

“We need to go out,” Caroline says. She needed to be in the field. “There has to be some rouge witches who want to kill you guys right?” She asks them and Elijah laughs at her remark.

**.**

“How did you do it?” Rebekah asks as she follows me inside the house! I shrug, still high off the exhilaration. 

“I don’t know,” I respond. Scared and happy by how I got it to work so effectively so fast. “I just let go and poof, she was dust.” I reply, Elijah following after us, the keys still in his hands. 

“Elijah, you saw it right?” She says, for once we were on the same page, celebrating with each other and in that moment I missed Elena and Bonnie. We should be like this but over graduation and prom which was barely a month away. I wanted to go, but could I? 

“I did.” He responds, his voice cool and collected. “You’re a fast learner indeed, Caroline.” He throws a smile my way and I’m happy that I have become a part of their family, no longer a nuisance to be watched and disposed of.

“And the fire-” she turns to me on our parade to the kitchen, “did you know that would happen?” She asks, probably to get on to me if I did, considering her head was trapped in the witches hold. I shake my head. 

“No, it surprised me as much as it did you.” I tell her, reaching for a bottle of blood in the opened fridge. 

“Let’s regroup later, girls.” Elijah says, “Caroline, rest now. We don’t know how much of your energy you spent blowing up the poor witches.”

“They deserved it!” Rebekah argues but he holds up his hand. 

“And we all need a decent shower and a change of clothes, especially you, Bekah.” Elijah gives her a look and I know he’s referring to her shirt which was burned technically by me. 

**.**

“We have to move!” Klaus yells through the house. We all come to the first floor, staring at Kol and Klaus, their clothes in decent need of a wash. 

“What going on?” Rebekah asks, coming up behind me, all of us sharing looks.

“They were Father’s werewolves,” Kol tells us, walking past us, heading hopefully to some clean clothes. “We have to move.”   
  



	28. Chapter 28

“Get changed and then we’ll leave.” Elijah says over his shoulders and I hear two sets of feet up the stairs, Elijah pausing in front of a door past the kitchen, opening it and I’m amazed to pretty much see a weapons vault inside. Rebekah pushes past me, going for the knives.

“Do we need the grenades?” She asks over her shoulder, and Elijah considers for a second.

“No, not with Niklaus there, hand me the dart gun.” He holds out his hand and she grabs what looks like a normal looking gun and hands it to him.

“What is this place?” I ask looking around and neither of them respond. Kol pushes past me, looking between the stakes and something that looks like really deadly syringes.

“Can’t you tell, Darling?” Kol asks as he takes some of the syringes and puts them in a holder. “It’s our storage of weapons.”

“But you guys are invincible?” I ask, feeling dumb all of a sudden that I didn’t think this place would exist. Klaus enters next and I move to the side as they all start soldiering up and I’m just there like a dumb Barbie.

“Doesn’t hurt to be guarded,” Elijah tells me and I nod, my curiosity satisfied.

“Hand Kol the wolfs bane grenade.” Klaus says, and Rebekah pauses.

“Elijah said it wouldn’t be wise with you being there.”

“I won’t be near them, Kol will.” He says, also grabbing for the needles. He slips them into a holder and comes over to me, kneeling down suddenly and attaching it to my hip. “These are filled with vervain, so be careful.” He instructs, tightening it through one of my belt loops. “Don’t get it on you or,”

“It can incapacitate me.” I finish, grabbing my own wrists, remembering that searing pain. “I know.” I say for no one. I didn’t tell anyone that I had been bound with vervain ropes. Klaus meets my eyes and I know he can tell I’ve felt it before but he dismisses it, slapping my ass as he gets up, a lazy smile appearing.

“Don’t forget it.” He winks and turns around helping his brother load wooden bullets into clips.

.

We all sit in a car, driving north toward Virginia’s border, into a mountainous region. “We’ll have to stop here.” Klaus says, getting out from the driver’s side as we all file out, following him to the edge of the woods.

“We should’ve made a plan,” Elijah says and Kol waves him off.

“There’s no time, brother.” Kol reminds him. I watch him at the most serious I had ever seen him; struck by how much he resembles his brothers in this moment. “I’ll go for the wolves, then.” Kol says, whooshing off with a nod toward all of us.

Klaus grabs my hand, keeping me near him. “Okay, so according to the wolf,”

“Who might’ve been bluffing.” Elijah fires and Klaus gives him a side-eye look.

“2 miles out there is an old, old house.” He says. “There will be a lot of minions to try and take care of us.” He repeats the same story he said in the car ride up. “Elijah, can you hold off the ones at the entrance?” Elijah nods though all of us can tell he doesn't like spontaneity of this plan.

“Will Caroline be going in?” He asks and Klaus doesn’t respond, and I don’t let them choose for me.

“I’ll go in.” I say, giving Klaus hand an extra squeeze, “Mikael doesn’t know about my full ability yet,” _Not even I do,_ “so I can help keep them off him while he takes care of Mikael.” I hope I sound convincing enough to them. Elijah has seen me use the combusting ability so he knows what I plan to do.

“Can you control it?” Elijah says toward me. Tensions were high and this was it. I nod, scared and unsure but I would have too. There was a lot I didn’t know about myself but I can burn them from the inside, I can guard myself again a witch’s attack now that I know of it, know how to sense it. “Don’t wear yourself out,” He warns and Klaus looks between us three, a secret exchange he has yet to know about, but it would have to wait.

“I’ll help Elijah then.” Rebekah volunteers and we all agree on this mock-up.

**.**

“Grab him!” It’s a high-pitched screech from some vampire attacking Elijah and Rebekah. Klaus and I move around the woods, trying to make our way into the hideout. The house wasn’t as old as the wolf has said, but it was old.

Klaus hand burned in mine and I let it go. My feelings needed to be reigned in because I was scared. For me, for Klaus, for the siblings. I was terrified we wouldn’t make it out alive or at least with all of us intact. Mikael had the white-oak for all we knew. “Caroline,” Klaus voice comes to me and I flinch without thinking. “Love,” he tries again and I breathe in and out.

“I’m here,” I tell him, trying to reassure him, to reassure myself. I let him take my hand again and we move.

.

To my right, a vampire disappears into dust. In front of Klaus, two go down. I was using my worry and fear against them. It wasn’t good to use the dark emotions but I had no choice. Klaus looks back at me surprise in his eyes and I exchange a look with him before continuing on. “Are you doing that?” He asks, the wood of the floorboards covered in ash.

“Yes,” I reply, taking a werewolf on, and decapitating him. “But I don’t know how long I can go for,” I grunt, throwing the heavy body away.

We continue along taking the grunts as they come. I blew them up and fought along side Klaus, the big bad evil. I never thought this is what would become of my life but I wasn’t saddened by the turn of events. Looking at Klaus, blood splattering us both, his chest heaving in with labored breaths, the carnage around us and only a few more floors to go.

“What is this place?” I ask Klaus, who wraps my hand in his, the onslaught over for now, the quiet settling around us. If I strained my ears I could hear Elijah and Rebekah outside, giving us time to finish it. Kol was far away, taking on the wolves surrounding the perimeter which was far and wide.

“A hide out, reinforced though.” He tells me, “he made it look weak on the outside but inside it’s strong.”

We enter a room at the top. It was big and open, Mikael stood inside. His hand enclosed the weapon we searched for to destroy and the smile on his face was dark enough to turn the happiest hearts cold. “Klaus, my bastard son.” His voice echoes around us and his eyes land on me, “and you brought the pretty plaything,” his laugh is as sick as his mind.

“Don’t talk about her,” Klaus warns, moving himself to shield me, to cover me from his father’s eyes. I place my hand on his arm trying to get him to calm down. He can’t win if he’s distracted and I wouldn’t become another distraction. “Surrender Father.” Klaus says and I’m shocked he didn’t jump straight into violence. “Stop this and we don’t have to kill you.” I see Klaus’s jaw tighten and it strikes me that this isn’t a fight between just enemies, this was a son looking to his father, to be his father. He was holding onto one last string of hope.

“Stop pretending, boy,” Michael bit out, and comes at us, knocking Klaus away and taking me hostage once more. I didn’t mind this time as I knew I could use this, could help this time being in his close proximity, especially if he tried to kill me. My subconscious wouldn’t let him, but Klaus didn’t think that far. I could see the fear in his eyes as he picked himself up. “Show her your true nature, the one you were born with. Your taste for destruction and death!” Mikael calls to him and I know he’s wearing a sadistic smile.

"No, I wasn't born like that,” Klaus tells Mikael and I stand with his hand tightening around my throat, tears threatening to fall with Klaus’s hurting words, the pain in his eyes calling to me. “There was a time when you knew me as your son! A time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal, there were moments where all you had to do was be my father!” He yells and my heart breaks. How could Mikael turn away from his son? Even if he wasn’t biological, Mikael was the father he knew. Klaus had looked up to him and loved him once upon a time. “And even then you despised me didn't you?” Klaus says, watching Mikael carefully, for any move that he was about to kill me. “I want to know why." He insists, “I need to know why.” I see the water in his eyes, the ideas in his head.

I knew he hoped for a reunion, for this not to end in death as it did with his mother, but Mikael just clucked his tongue, ready to scold his son. “Everyone wants to play the villain, but when push comes to shove, I have to do it.” He says, his hand tightening against me. “How does she taste, Niklaus?” His teeth graze my neck and I close me eyes. I know he wants to torture his son, to make him pay for the crime his mother had done and he would start with me.

“Don’t.” Klaus warns, his voice heavy with renewed determination. “She plays no part in this.”

I feel Mikael’s chest rumble behind me as he laughs. “You made her part of this, boy!” He yells, his grip tigheter than before and I accidently scream. Klaus yells stepping forward but that was what I needed. I see my glow for the first time, a white light tinted with blue and it screams with me. Mikael drops me, favoring holding his own hand. I can smell the sizzling skin and I stay at his feet, tired from the exertion of my mind.

So that was what I did then, in the garden. He stands in a blackened circle, holding a very burned hand that had been around my neck. “Caroline, move!” I hear and I push myself away as Klaus comes forward, throwing his fist and catching Mikael off guard. He flies away, crashing into the wall, the wood splintering around him and I can only watch, trying not to faint.

They twist around each other and Mikael has the stake in his hand but can’t do anything as Klaus attacks. Klaus doesn’t let up, doesn’t get distracted with me out of the way but somehow he slips and Mikael catches him, holding him on the ground, their arms in a fight against each other as Mikael bears down and Klaus grunts in force, trying to keep the tip of the stake from piercing his skin. “Caroline,” he calls toward me and with the last of my own strength, I let go, letting the glows surround me and I take all the emotions inside, the fear and pain, watching Klaus so close to losing, I turn it on Mikael and watch closely as he falters, his hand slipping as I boil the stolen blood in his body, his organ flaying by his own danger meter.

Klaus grabs the stake and without a thought, thrusts it into his father’s chest. I hear footsteps rushing up the flights of stairs and Rebekah and Elijah join us for the finale.

“May you live long in hellfire.” I hear Klaus say, standing over the body of his father. He doesn’t look away until the stake itself catches fire. Klaus committed patricide, their father followed their mother in fate. Klaus needed me and so I sat and waited for him to turn away.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has smut, you've been warned

“Is he dead?” Rebekah asks, her breath labored after the workout she had with the minions.

I look over at her with a weak weary smile and look toward the collapsed body, his glow no longer appearing around him but I echo Rebekah’s question, “Like _dead_ dead?” I ask aloud to Klaus and Elijah who are now walking toward us. Kol was still absent but that was to be expected with him taking care of the runaway’s.

Klaus has a lazy smile as he pulls me in close to him, “I don’t think he’s coming back, Love,” he presses a kiss into my hair and I wrap my arms around him, holding him close and breathing in his scent. I had almost lost him, the scene still fresh in my head. My nerves finally take over and I close my eyes, pulling back the glow, and resting my head against his chest and he combs his fingers through my hair, comforting and my arms hold him as tight as I can.

“Let’s go home,” Elijah says and I separate from Klaus, his arm staying wrapped around my shoulders, and Elijah embraces Rebekah, taking care of their youngest sibling. I spare a look behind me, to where Mikael had laid, now only a pile of ashes and I feel my heart calm. It was truly over now-- nothing would threaten Klaus or the siblings again and we could be in peace. I hug Klaus closer, needing the comfort after the storm we all just weathered, the sun barely rising and he softly chuckles, rubbing his thumb across my shoulder.

“I see how it is, Brother,” Rebekah’s voice finds us, teasing and playful, “I’ve been displaced.” She says and even Elijah smiles.

“Come now, Sister,” Kol’s voice enters the path and I see him up ahead, covered in blood, but alive nonetheless, “Of course he prefers someone he shags,” He waggles his eyebrows in my direction and I hear Klaus growl under his breath.

“All that blood looks good on you,” I tell Kol, as he joined our procession back to town to get back to Mystic Falls and the town house on the edge of town that has become home, “It really brings out your eyes.” Kol just laughs, always one to be in good spirits even after the night we just had.

I can’t wait to go home though and leave this blood stained night behind. See my mom and hug my friends, even Stefan. Go back to school and catch up, though missing five months of school is going to be horrible on my GPA, I wanted to at least finish my first time through high-school, no matter how many days I’ll be up, working through all the missed homework that I didn’t get from Rebekah, I would make it work.

**.**

“What happens now, family?” Kol asks from his spot on top of the island. I sit on one of the barstools, Klaus and Elijah are sentry by the doors, and Rebekah is at the dining table that never gets much use.

We all look from one to the other, no one having an answer really. Things would become quiet, I bet. No one was looking to kill them adamantly anymore and it’s not like they were stuck here. They were free to leave now. Like Klaus once told me.

“You guys can go.” I say and they all look to me. “You aren’t bound here by danger and security anymore and if you name doesn’t start with a K, I bet there aren’t people looking for ways to kill you still.”

“I resent that, Blondie.” Kol says, goofing off already. Things were going to go back to normal for them.

“There’s more than one in this room that starts with K,” I reply and he looks at Klaus, laughing, and Klaus returns it with a glare. I give him a wink and he looks away with a small smile. “But what I meant was you guys don’t _have_ to stay here. Rebekah can go to Europe, Kol can go explore some tombs, hopefully get cursed,” I muse, trying to lighten the mood of the future.

“I feel like you have it out for me.” He interrupts.

“What would ever give you that idea?” I grin innocently at him and even hear Elijah laugh.

“Caroline is right.” He agrees to my shock, “we can do what we want for now.” He seconds and the room goes quiet for a little bit longer as we reflect on the night’s events, the sun coming up over the trees. “We lost our father a long time ago and tonight we gained freedom.” He tells the siblings more than me but I listen. “You guys are free to mourn if you’d like,” his gaze drops to Rebekah, “or not,” to Klaus and Kol, “but let's focus on living the life we want for now.” We separate then, going to our own rooms, though I follow Klaus to his, not wanting to be alone.

I slip my hand into his as we ascend the stairs, his quietness was almost startling to me. Usually he would say something when we were like that but he didn’t say anything. When the door closes behind us and he drops my hand, I watch him. He doesn’t really do anything strange. He pulls a change of clothes out of his dresser and goes to the bathroom; in seconds the shower starts and I let myself out, heading back into my room to do the same.

.

I hear my door open about 10 minutes after I step into my own shower and finish washing the conditioner out of my hair, taking my time with the warm water.

I hear a knock soon after and make a humming sound. “Love?”

“Be out in a second,” I reply and I hear him retreat, my bed creaking as I turn the water off. I wondered if he didn’t want to be alone now or if he wanted to talk about the night’s events.

I dry off and pull on a long tee and some shorts, opening my door to find him at my desk, rifling through my pages of homework that I would turn in on Monday, re-enrolling back in classes and cumplusioning my way past the transcript.

I walk up to him, running my hand down his arm and he turns toward me, no expression on his face. “What’s up?” I ask him, worried for him without knowing why.

“I don’t know.” He says, “I feel lost.” He says it so absently that I almost miss the real feeling in it. I pull the papers away, leading him by his hand to by bed where I climb in and he follows me, settling himself around me and I lean in to him. His thumb trails across my arm as we sit in silence. I can’t hear the others in the house meaning the Elijah is in his study and Rebekah and Kol have left to celebrate. He presses his lips to the crown of my head and I wait as I feel him collecting his own words. “I didn’t think I would feel sad to lose him after all he has done but it feels strange to know he’s dead, that I did it. I feel like the bad guy, like I’m the villain in his story.”

I sit up, turning to face him, my hand resting where his heart would be beating. “You’re not a villain. Not to me or your siblings. We’ll be here for you no matter what lies down the road.” I keep his eyes fixated on mine, making sure he believes me and what I say. When I’m sure, I lean over and press a kiss to his lips, not expecting him to make it deeper.

He pushes me onto my back, his eyes hovering over me as I stroke my hand down his face. "I love you, Caroline,” he whispers in our embrace and I feel taken aback, almost unprepared for the words, the feelings. He doesn’t let me reply as he kisses me again, slow and steady. He was more tender tonight, maybe more in touch with himself after almost dying. I wasn’t surprised when one of his hands found their way onto my bare skin, sliding down my thigh, pushing my shorts up to feel me grow hot and wet around his fingers. I wanted him too.

He moved down, kissing the hollow of my neck, my shirt stopping him so he sat back and pulled me up, removing it a clumsy fashion that had my laughing and him cracking a smile finally before he went back, kissing along my neck line, my shoulder and then my breast where he placed a kiss on my hardening nipple and then sucked it hard, causing me to take a sharp intake of air in response. He flicked the tip of his tongue across it and I ached my back into him. He looks up at me, his eyebrows raising, a devilish smirk across his face, the scruff rough on my skin. Klaus moves lower, trailing his kisses as he went, his hands moving with him as he hooked his fingers into my waistband, dragging my shorts down and his fingers leave goose bumps in their wake.

With them gone, he comes back to the bed, settling back and bending my legs. I watch him, curious as he trails his lips from my knee to my thigh, moving higher with each breath. “Klaus,” I breathed out as he slowly traced his tongue along my inner thigh, getting to the sensitive place between the area where he was heading and the area that had passed. He places a kiss that makes me shiver. He moves forward, and drags his tongue along my lips and a moan escapes low in my throat.

I can’t help but move my hips when his tongue meets my clit and he seems to enjoy it with the rumble in his throat as he moves lower, his tongue entering me and my hands move into my hair to keep from pushing his hand in, to put more pressure and urge more friction. I feel his tongue dart in and out, the slickness of it and me mixing together and I move my hips again. Klaus moves back to my clit, circling his tongue around it causing distress in my lower region and I can’t get the satisfaction I want, that he knows he’s driving me insane. He doesn’t use his hands this time and he repeats the process. Flicking his tongue around me and inside me, his hand gripping my hips as I rock into him. I bunch my hair in my hands as he goes harder, applying more pressure to my clit, sucking on it, nipping at it, causing me to squeal. It didn’t take long after he change his attention to my clit completely for me to break under him, crying out as I rode the wave of my orgasm.

When it was over, her had wiped his mouth clean though I could still taste myself in our kiss as I rolled on to him, feeling him hard under his pants. I rubbed my sensitive sex on his covered hard-on, watching his eyes close it the feeling. I moved away, letting him remove his own clothes before climbing back on top of him, moving him toward my entrance and leaning down to kiss him as I began moving.

**.**

Saturday rolls around and finds me in my room, a suitcase opened and half the room stripped of my belongings that had collected here.

“So you’re leaving then?” He finds me after a while, emerging from his study with paint on his hands.

“Only until graduation.” I tell him, placing my hands on his shoulders and a quick kiss to his lips, before continuing to fold up my clothes, some bought for me when I first arrived, by Klaus, though at the time I never even considered where they came from, amounting it to Rebekah or something or other. “It’s not that long away now,” I smile up at him as I close the suitcase, ready to go back home to my mom and talk to her, answer her questions as much as I could.

“And then?” He asks, coming into my room, further than the door, messing with the things on my desk. “What about college?” He’s holding back and I can tell, scared of being abandoned by me now, when we were so new. I walk up to him, my arms wrapping around his neck, leaning my head against his shoulder as his arms wrap around me.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” I tell him. “And maybe then, we can discuss what exactly this is?” I test the waters, not know how he exactly feels about it, but needing to know nonetheless. I don’t like not have a label for something and now, I want to know where we stand. If were are just friends that sometimes kiss or something more, I need to know.

“Like boyfriend or something like that?” He jokes and I pull away, letting my arms droop as I look him in the eyes.

“Or something like that, yes.” I say, pulling away physically and mentally. “I need to know where we stand.”

“Love, I think I’ve outgrown the boyfriend title a bit don’t you?” He raises an eyebrow at me and I feel something in me crash.

“Then what?” I ask. “You don’t want to be with me? Is that a concept that’s a little too normal for you?” I think he forgot that I was human until I met him.

“I’m not human so why are you expecting me to act like one?” His eyes bore into mine and I wonder if this was asking for too much.

“I’m not expecting you to act like anything.” I say, aggravation rising in me and I know I can’t let it over take me, not right now or Klaus will be in pain for the next few days, so I break his hold on my waist, returning to my suitcase. “I just…” I start and stop, wondering what it was that I wanted. “We aren’t under a threat anymore,” I say, folding a shirt, “we don’t have to act like each moment could be our last,” another shirt, “and when I’m with someone, I like knowing that they want to be with me,” I fold a pair of shorts, getting closer to the end. “That’s all.” I don’t look at him, afraid of his response.

I feel his hand eclipse my waist again, pulling me into him, his chin resting on my shoulder, my back to his front. “I’m with you, Caroline.” He whispers and I try to fight the smile on my lips, celebrating at how fast he caved. “I don’t know about the boyfriend-girlfriend business, but I’m with you and only you.” It’s not a promise of forever but I’ll take tomorrow just as well.

“Drive me home?” I ask, leaning my head onto his shoulder as his lips find my neck and I giggle, the feeling reaching both of us.

“Later,” he growls and I turn, facing him, his lips soft and gentle. There’s no rush between us, though that doesn’t stop his fingers playing around the hem of my shirt. I kiss him back, open to anything and everything having to do with him and me.  

.

“On a scale from one to ten, how bad do you think it would be if—” Bonnie starts, her eyes looking over at Kol in the crowd in the stands. The Mikaelson brothers sat there watching the high school football game. Rebekah was talking or flirting with Matt while he waited to get called in for help as the assistant manager. Elena was watching Stefan play, her glee effective to the rest of the cheer team. I had taken back my role as Captain with a lot of persuasion and very little compulsion, and stood next to Bonnie.

“At least twenty.” I responded, a giggle bubbling in my throat as she turned to me, slapping my arm.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!” She laughs with me and I return my eyes toward Klaus, watching me with a smile on his face even if this wasn’t his scene. “But, you do have an insider’s touch, you know,” she suggests and I groan in mock-aggravation.

“He’s a complete playboy, Bonnie!” I warn her as the whistle blows and the cheerleaders start moving toward the center. “But if it will make you happy,” I let it go, happy when a smile works its way over her face. A mistake for me wasn’t a mistake to Bonnie and who was I to dictate her decisions.

.

“Can I talk to you?” I turn and see Tyler standing behind me, entering my personal space and I turn away from the bar, looking at him with a healthy amount of distrust. “It’ll only be a few minutes.” I set my coke down and follow him outside.

The place is still partying from the win, though I don’t get how it will affect the finals to cause this amount of celebration. “What’s up, Tyler?”

“I wanted to talk to you, see how you are doing since coming home.” He edges around his true intentions and Caroline tries not to roll her eyes. “I saw you kiss the old art teacher and I don’t get it Caroline, it’s not like you,” he turns on me and his true intentions come out.

“You know, somehow you don’t even have to use your brain to make my head hurt.” I tell him, his whole jealous act starting to get annoying. “And you have a girlfriend, Tyler.” I see guilt flash in his eyes.

“Look, this isn’t about me and Hayley, it’s about saving you from a creep predator.” He says, “he’s probably in his thirties and you just turned 18, Care.” Tyler steps closer to her. “I don’t want to see you hurt when this falls apart.”

“Who says it’ll fall apart?” I ask him, already aware of the vast age difference and levels of maturity. “Klaus and I click, okay? He gets me in a way you never did.” I throw at him, one, to get back at him and two, because it was true. “I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not and hide parts of myself to please him and he doesn’t have to do that with me either.” I explain and watch the anger flash in his eye, but I said my piece. I didn’t owe him anything and wasn’t going to try to make peace.

I turn around, going back to the party, when he latches on to my wrist and my reaction was to punch him square in the face. He howls in pain and for a second I panic but looking at him, I managed to check my strength. The cry of pain made someone come check and I hear Klaus’s footsteps outside, following me. His hand centers on my lower back as his eyes find Tyler with a fresh nosebleed, kneeling on the ground. “Why is he bleeding?”

“Because he’s an idiot.”

“I didn’t know idiocy caused people to bleed from the nose.” He replies, and I look at him with a shrug.

“I think it’s a new phenomenon.” I quip as Klaus inspects my hand, looking over my knuckles even though it was impossible for Tyler’s face to hurt me more than I could hurt him.

I didn’t look back at Tyler as Klaus lead me away from him, back to the winning celebration happening inside.

.

Klaus walks me to my door as we get home from dinner. It was the first time I had been to a five-star restaurant and he told me that if I was impressed by this, then to wait and see what France has in store. I laughed and he smiled, happy to see me enjoying myself. “Do you want to come in?” I ask him, and he tilts his head, listening for my mom inside. “She’s on shift.” I tell him and pull on his hand a bit.

He almost gives into me but pull back last second. Ever since I moved back to my mom’s, after everything was safe and I was in control, Klaus had slowed down on the sex-front, instead choosing to wine-and-dine me. I didn’t mind being spoiled and cared for, loved to this extent. It did wonders for my confidence and for our affectionate sides, but I missed just cuddling with him.

He looks at me in a way that makes some think he is drowning and I the glass of water. Love did that to people and I hope it never faded between us. “I just…” he starts, and I love seeing him flustered, admitting that he does have feelings when he spent so much time ignoring them. “I intend to be your last love however long it takes.” He tells me, leaving me confused.

“What do you mean?” I ask in return.

He runs his thumb over my hand and leans in to kiss my forehead. “I know I’m a hard man to love and I don’t exactly do what people want,”

“You don’t.” I concur and his smile says that he knows it, deal with it.

“But I love you, Caroline Forbes, and I can’t imagine what life will be without you anymore.”

“Are you proposing to me?” I try to joke around, not understanding where he was going with this. “Because I’m still in high school for a few more months.”

“No, not proposing,” he drops my hand and walks over to the railing, looking out at the night sky and I follow him. “I want you to know that I’m in this to be the last love in your long life. Even if another sways you, I want to believe my love and affection for you will bring you back because you’ll love me too.” He turns to me slightly and I’m surprised to hear that the love he holds for me runs that deep.

I never though the gruff man who couldn’t be bothered to be in the same room with me could open up this much, to do a complete 180 and still be the same man I fell for in the confusing mess of feelings. “Klaus, I don’t-”

He runs a hand through his curls in frustration, “I know, I just want to know you understand what I mean.”

I shake my head, “No, I don’t get why you keep using future tense.” I say, and he turns to me, “You must know I love you.” I tell him and he looks at me as if I’ve just told him that there really was a way to get Kol to stop making sex jokes out of our relationship.

“You do?” He asks, his voice a little breathless.

“Of course I do, you idiot.” I laugh, pushing against his arm and he comes back to me, his stare harder and once more he’s lost me.

He leans against the railing, facing me with his arms crossed. “How am I an idiot? You’ve never said it!” He insists.

“Yes I have.” I tell him.

“No you haven’t, Love.”

I fold my arms, rolling my eyes. “Of course I’ve told you that, it’s not some secret.” I explain. Everyone who has ever been around us could tell that we both love each other a great deal. How many times have I almost died for him?

“I think I would have remembered if my girlfriend told me she loved me.” Maybe it’s the tone of his voice or maybe it’s the fact that he called me his girlfriend after swearing up and down for so long that he was eight centuries to old to be called ‘boyfriend’, but I reflect, letting my arms drop. Maybe he senses my defeat, because he also relaxes.

“I really haven't said it?” I ask him and he shakes his head, his eyes hiding the amusement I know he if feeling after winning an argument against me.

“You haven’t.”

“Well I do.” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck, “I love you, Niklaus Mikaelson.” I tell him in the fullest of confidence, and place a light kiss on his lips as he wraps his arms around me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, it's taken me a year to finish what was supposed to be a one-shot, two-shot that turned into a multi-chapter and I'm surprised with how it turned out because I didn't know how I would end it when I started writing it and re-wrote it multiple times in the process. Thank you, readers! I hope you enjoyed the journey I took you on and now to finish Destiny is All (my other in process Klaroline fic)... which was also supposed to be short but I don't know where I'll go with it.


	30. Caroline's Power

Because this was written based off a floating prompt I found on Pinterest, I didn't quite get where I was going to take this story until the last few chapters. I had my goals, like Klaus and Caroline getting together, write my first smutty piece and post it, and figure out how I wanted to end this, but there was also the issue of Caroline's ability, which was the entire basis for the story itself. 

Originally, I was going to write it out when she got turned and make it something she would only use to see who she could over-power in a fight, etc. but I got a lot of questions asking about it and when I mapped out the story, I thought that instead of writing out the ability the whole story was based around, maybe I could enhance it sense now she was a vampire. 

I went onto the superpowers Wikia page and started looking into light based or energy based powers and sort of compiled my own list and created her ability from that. I then went through my story and added Easter eggs that referenced her power before it was explained or used parts of my story to work into her power. Below is what I planned for my version of Caroline and also what she could be able to do if she kept enhancing it. Each ability has an explanation of how it can be used and if she has used it incase for confusion. 

Based off of Aura-Manipulation, called Spirit Energy and Spirit Energy Manipulation

  1. Yellow General Aura Abilities:


  * Energetic Pressure:The user can destroy an entire surrounding area with nothing but the force of their aura. 
    * User can use their energy to cause crushing or repelling effects on objects or areas, can cause target to be paralyzed by the pressure, induce fear, or even kill with only their energy. They can cause an attack to be negated or have no effect at all.
    * Caroline can turn one’s own glow against them, killing them if their glow is strong enough, or wound them if it isn’t, slowing them down. She can turn it on them and they’ll hear ringing, fall to the ground, and their head can blow up; If the person’s glow is greater than Caroline’s she can become unstable and end up breaking buildings and collapsing herself from the overload.
  * Indomitable Will: The user possesses a strong force of will.(Explained below)
  * Life-Force Beam Emission: The user can project their aura in the form of a destructive beam. (used in chapter 26) 
    * Caroline can do this, but she faints right after. She has to be very close to dying and in a lot of danger though, like mama-bear mode. It’s basically exposing vampires to her own personal sun and everyone besides the originals will die from it, unless they are protected. The originals are harmed, just not deadly harmed.


  1. Yellow (Manipura) - Deals with self-energy (I) and willpower (II):


  * Self-Energy: Aura Morphing/Shifting 
    * The user is able to see, change and manipulate their own aura. This is done by changing certain qualities of the aura and morphing or shifting certain attributes of the aura to something different. 
      * can only do this in dire situations; with training it could become easier; used in chapter 28 when Caroline finally gets to see her own ‘glow’
    * Applications 
      * Psychic Shield: The user is highly resistant to any/all mental intrusion, including psychic or empathic powers,
      * Hypnosis, Mental Hallucination, deception, etc.
      * Mind readers only “hear” static, mind controllers are incapable of manipulating those shielded.
    * Willpower: Indomitable Will 
      * The ability to possess unusually strong willpower
      * The user has unnaturally strong willpower, enabling them to be immune to all forms of temptation 
        * Through their will, the user can face great physical pain and psychological trauma and will refuse to surrender no matter how much the odds are stacked against them, possibly up to the point of cheating death and pushing themselves past their own limitations.
      * Applications 
        * Ability Transcendence - Exceed one's own limitations through perseverance 
          * how she learns thing so quickly and refuses to give up; helped in her getting over being turned
        * Accelerated Development - Be determined to learn at a fast rate. 
          * how she learns thing so quickly
        * Control Negation - because your mind and body are yours, and will stay yours through sheer willpower. 
          * the reason it’s hard for witches to invade her mind, but not cast spells over her
        * Enhanced Survivability - Overcome physical issues to continue functioning 
          * how she can overpower the siblings
        * Fearlessness - Be brave and fearless. 
          * Caroline is fearless originally and here she can turn her fear to help her instead of knock her down; used explicitly in chapter 28
        * High Resistance - Resist many things through sheer force of will. 
          * witches invading her mind
        * Possession Immunity - Resist being possessed. 
          * Not used but still a part of her ability
        * Psychic Shield - Resist telepathic abilities.
        * Psychic Immunity - Be completely immune to all psychic and telepathic powers. 
          * witches invading her mind
        * Undying Loyalty - Be loyal and protective of someone to the very end.
        * Will Empowerment - Get stronger by sheer willpower.


  1. Weakness


  * Users must be in control of their emotions.
  * depend upon of the knowledge, skill, and strength of the user, and their power's natural limits.


  1. Elemental Connections


  * In the philosophy of the seven auras/chakras shared by Hinduism and Buddism, each color corresponds to seven elements. In some cases, the user(s) manipulates their aura to the point where it takes on the characteristics and properties of said elements.


  1. Yellow


  * Heat Manipulation 
    * User can create, shape and manipulate heat by increasing the kinetic energy of atoms and thus making things hotter, ranging from subjective feeling of heat to absolute hot. 
      * Makes sense for her when killing her attackers
    * Burning: user can burn almost anything, they can heat up parts of objects or the bodies, and the whole object itself leaving only a pile of ashes 
      * used in chapter 26 and chapter 28


  1. Blue


  * Has to do with Light, which Caroline is associated with
  * Zap: A tiny short release of light to cause pain or discomfort, usually too low-powered to be destructive. 
    * not used but with practice she can control not blowing people up and using it purely for defense
  * Light Aura: The user can release and surround themselves in/with light for defensive and/or offensive purposes, possibly becoming almost untouchable and granting them various abilities/attacks. The aura may also give the user enhanced physical capabilities such as speed, strength and durability. 
    * Used in chapter 28




End file.
